Manchester United vs Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp’s side miss chance to earn the mark of champions

Manchester United have been crowned champions in half of the Premier League’s 26 seasons to date. In the other half, the title-winning team has often been able to point to a significant result at Old Trafford as proof of their credentials.

Only the Blackburn Rovers class of 1995 and Jose Mourinho’s second Chelsea champions suffered defeat away to United on their path to the crown. Antonio Conte’s 2016-17 Chelsea were beaten too, though when already expected to come out on top regardless.

Three eventual champions claimed draws at Old Trafford but for two of them, the result was crucial. Arsenal’s Invincibles were only invincible because of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s late penalty miss. The point Leicester City earned confirmed them as champions a day later.

The other seven title-winning sides all left Old Trafford victorious. Each time, it was a statement win.

Think Mark Overmars scoring for Arsenal in front of the Scoreboard End or Sylvain Wiltord doing the same to win the title four years later. There was Didier Drogba’s offside goal for Chelsea too and one Mario Balotelli asking why always him.

These victories made those champions, forming a key part in their season’s story. But if Liverpool’s 29-year wait for a domestic league title is to finally end in May, it will do so without a memorable result at Old Trafford to look back on.

Granted, playing United away from home is not the litmus test for title contenders that it was during Sir Alex Ferguson’s day. No club that has been crowned once in the last seven seasons can consider themselves the kingmakers.

All the more reason to take maximum points then. All the more reason to make a statement. And all the more reason for Liverpool to be frustrated with their uninspiring performance in Sunday’s goalless draw.

There were undoubted positives for Jürgen Klopp and his players. They are back on top of the Premier League table by the margin of one point, having still suffered only one defeat all season and with all their trips to fellow ‘top six’ clubs out of the way.

With 11 games left, it is still in their hands. This was a useful point against a United team, manager and crowd salvaging what they can from a lost season, who were desperate to be the ones that derail their title bid.

But it was also a United side deprived of Anthony Martial. One that lost three first-choice players to injury in 43 minutes. Left with a midfield that was two-thirds Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira for the majority. This team was there for the taking.

An in-form Liverpool would not have passed up such an opportunity but, as they were struggling for fluency, this chance slipped through their fingers. It should be said that United defended admirably when required, but then their visitors rarely troubled them.

And so while previous title-winning sides came to this part of Manchester and cast away doubts about their credentials, more were raised in Liverpool’s case. It was a performance that posed questions rather than answered them.

Some, regarding whether this club can handle the pressure, have been asked regularly for some time now. Others regarding a lack of invention in midfield and coherence in attack are fresher and perhaps more pertinent.

But the fundamental concern should be missing the chance wrestle back some of the momentum that has been lost in recent weeks with a genuinely impressive victory over a formidable opponent. This was a chance not to merely edge ahead but to set the pace.

That is what past title winners have done in games of Sunday’s magnitude. It is what the reigning champions did last year and will aim to do again. Manchester City, of course, are yet to travel across town.

They do so on 24 April, when there will be less than three weeks of the campaign remaining. Liverpool will hope otherwise, but this season’s title-turning Old Trafford away performance could be still to come.