Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch says the rivalry between the Reds and Manchester United made that the most intense match that he played in during his career.
The forward, who retired having left Burnley at the end of last season at the age of 38, believes that he never played in a more competitive match.
He told the Daily Mail : "I’ve never played in a fixture that had such hatred around it. I was on the bench the day Gary Neville ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of Liverpool’s fans in January 2006 and the depth of feeling in the stadium was incredible.
"It was the same at Anfield the following month when I scored to knock United out of the FA Cup.
"It was never openly hostile in the tunnel but you could feel the tension as soon as you got to the stadium.
"We knew the players from England, of course, and there was never anything but respect from Gary, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney to Stevie Gerrard, Carra and myself.
"You could never really get on with them, though. There is a picture of me going up for a challenge with Rio Ferdinand and I’ve got my fist clenched - it looks like I’m trying to lamp him!"
However, Crouch says the game has changed since he was involved in it.
He added: "It was so intense and, as the years have gone by, I believe that intensity has faded from the fixture."
The Premier League will return from June 17 having been postponed for around three months thanks to the coronavirus.
Liverpool have already played their two league fixtures against Manchester United this season, drawing 1-1 at Old Trafford thanks to Adam Lallana's late equaliser, and winning 2-0 at Anfield with goals from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
