SIR ALEX FERGUSON famously claimed his biggest challenge as the Manchester United manager “knocked Liverpool off their bloody spot”.
When the great Scot left Old Trafford after winning a final Premier League title in 2013, his mission was accomplished.
But what Fergie has achieved during a glorious 27-year reign, new Kop manager Arne Slot threatens to undo in his debut season.
The crown United won 12 years ago was their 20th, putting them twice ahead of Liverpool at the top of the list of English champions.
Jurgen Klopp brought the Merseysiders back to United by winning the crown in 2019/20.
So if Slot can turn his team's current lead at the top of the table into a trophy lift in May, he will put them level with their North West rivals.
And given Liverpool's superior European Cup and Champions League record – with six wins to United's three – the Anfield faithful would once again have the numbers to back up their claim as England's biggest club.
The only crumb of comfort for United fans in recent years is that the other side of the M62 has failed to capitalize on United's decline in the same way Fergie filled his boots during Liverpool's barren years.
Many Reds supporters would argue that their team fell from that spot rather than being pushed by United.
Poor recruitment and the inability to capitalize on the commercial opportunities of the Premier League breakout cost the Kop as much money as United's quality under Fergie.
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Between Kenny Dalglish's third and final league title as Liverpool boss in 1990 and Klopp's victory thirty years later, Ferguson and United became champions thirteen times.
After Klopp announced his decision to leave Anfield last January – and his second bid for a Quadruple fell even flatter than the first – United supporters probably breathed a sigh of relief.
They have seen how difficult it is to replace an iconic manager and compete with those other noisy neighbors, Manchester City.
But Slot has come to Anfield and, rather than picking up where Klopp left off, has taken new levels from a group of players who looked exhausted when they finished third in the treble title race last season.
So the United faithful will travel to Anfield for Sunday's match, not only for fear of another hiding that day, but also a longer lasting kick in the gut at the end of the season.
The Red Devils' recent Premier League record against Liverpool is humiliating, with just one win in the last eight meetings and six goals scored compared to the Reds' 26.
Losing to your biggest rivals is bad enough, but the manner in which the defeats occurred was often shocking.
In the 2021/22 season, Klopp's Reds won 5-0 at Old Trafford and then 4-0 at home. But United's real low point came at Anfield on March 5, 2023, when Liverpool scored seven without reply.
Not only was it the largest margin of victory in a rivalry dating back to 1894, it was also equal to the worst defeat in United's entire history.
Still, most Liverpool fans would trade such a one-off thrashing for another championship.
And despite their team's apparent superiority at the moment, there will be a cautious voice in the backs of all but the most optimistic minds.
Because failing to beat United damaged Klopp's title bids more than once.
In February 2019, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw at Anfield. The Reds finished one painful point behind City at the end of the season.
And Erik ten Hag's United drew both league matches against Klopp's team last season.
Had Liverpool beaten United at Old Trafford on April 7, they would have been level on points with City and two ahead of Arsenal with six games to go.
But after Mo Salah's late penalty rescued a 2-2 draw, Liverpool lost at home to Crystal Palace the following weekend and saw another title opportunity slip away.
There is further encouragement for United fans that their team can still lift themselves when they play Liverpool and form can go out of the window in this closely fought derby.
Bruno Fernandes scored the winner in a 3-2 win in the FA Cup fourth round in January 2021.
Most memorably, United came from behind twice last March, beating Liverpool 4-3 in the sixth round and then lifting the trophy.
The hero of that victory at Old Trafford was Amad Diallo, with a dramatic injury-time winner at the end of extra time. Or, to put it another way, in Fergie time.
How United fans would love another win for new boss Ruben Amorim's side on Sunday.
And regain hope that their club can only remain in the title-winning position where Ferguson left them.
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