Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Five memorable Manchester United versus Liverpool matches

FILE PHOTO - Soccer Football - FA Cup Fifth Round - Huddersfield Town vs Manchester United - John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield, Britain - February 17, 2018 Sir Alex Ferguson watches the match from the stands REUTERS/Andrew Yates

(Reuters) - Manchester United and Liverpool will meet for the 228th time in all competitions on Saturday. We look back at some notable clashes between the sides.

Liverpool 4 Manchester United 4 (First Division, Aug. 1953)

FILE PHOTO - Soccer Football - Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg - Liverpool vs FC Porto - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - March 6, 2018 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp . Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

It remains the highest-scoring post-war match between the two clubs and will be remembered for United's controversial equaliser when Tommy Taylor bundled the ball and Liverpool goalkeeper Charlie Ashcroft into the back of the net.

Jack Rowley gave Matt Busby's United an early lead at Anfield but goals by Louis Bimpson and Bill Jones put the hosts ahead at the interval.

Roger Byrne made it 2-2 for the visitors before Bimpson crashed home two Billy Liddell corners in quick succession to give Liverpool a 4-2 lead after 58 minutes.

FILE PHOTO - Britain Soccer Football - Juventus Training - The National Stadium of Wales, Cardiff - June 2, 2017 BT Sport's Steven Gerrard ahead of training Reuters / Carl Recine Livepic

United pulled one back almost immediately through Eddie Lewis before Taylor's goal seven minutes from fulltime sparked outrage from Liverpool fans in the Kop.

Liverpool 3 Man United 3 (Premier League, Jan. 1994)

Liverpool looked set for a hiding after falling 3-0 down inside 24 minutes with Steve Bruce, Ryan Giggs and Denis Irwin on the scoresheet for league leaders United.

Yet Liverpool, who were eighth in the table going into the match, defied their lowly league position courtesy of an unlikely Anfield hero Nigel Clough, who scored two goals to set up a thrilling second half.

With the clock ticking down, Liverpool completed a stunning comeback when defender Neil Ruddock rose at the far post to power a header past Peter Schmeichel.

The season ended with United winning their first league and FA Cup double under Alex Ferguson.

Man United 1 Liverpool 4 (Premier League, March 2009)

Alex Ferguson's United looked on course to stretch their lead at the top of the table when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty but Liverpool's Fernando Torres forced Nemanja Vidic into making a mistake before finishing with a deft touch to make it 1-1.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot before United had Vidic sent off 15 minutes from fulltime and Fabio Aurelio scored a brilliant curler from the resulting free kick.

Late substitute Andrea Dossena lobbed a calm finish over United keeper Edwin van der Sar as Liverpool celebrated a landmark victory.

Man United 3 Liverpool 2 (Premier League, Sept. 2010)

Dimitar Berbatov became the first United player to score a hat-trick against Liverpool in 64 years as the home side enjoyed a thrilling victory at Old Trafford.

The Bulgarian striker scored either side of halftime, the second a stunning overhead kick, to put Alex Ferguson's side in control.

The visitors were thrown a lifeline when captain Steven Gerrard scored twice midway through the second half but Berbatov was determined to have the final say as he scored a towering header six minutes from fulltime to seal the victory.

United went on to win a record 19th English top flight League title, surpassing Liverpool's tally of 18.

Liverpool 1 Man United 2 (Premier League, March 2015)

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was determined to leave a final mark on English football prior to his farewell at the end of the season, but a red card 38 seconds after coming on as a halftime substitute was not what he envisaged.

Gerrard was introduced by Brendan Rodgers after United were deservedly leading through Juan Mata's early goal but the English midfielder was forced to leave the field after a reckless challenge on Ander Herrera.

United stamped their authority on the match against their 10-man opposition with a stunning scissor kick from Mata as they retained their grip on a top-four spot.

Daniel Sturridge pulled a goal back to give Liverpool hope of an unlikely comeback but they failed to create any clear cut opportunities and slipped five points behind fourth-placed United in the table.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.