As the biggest fixture in British football edges closer into focus this weekend, the publishing of the 2019 Deloitte Football Money League was a timely one.
Runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool host a Manchester United side on Sunday afternoon as they aim to continue what is appearing more and more like a procession to a first title in 30 years.
Twenty-one games played, 20 wins, a 14-point advantage and just two points lost all season as we creep ever closer towards the final third of the campaign.
United, though, remain the only team to have taken points off Jurgen Klopp's men, domestically, and a counter-attacking game-plan offers the visitors some hope after the excellent execution of it at Manchester City last month.
Three points to the hosts, however, will see another big hurdle negotiated in their aims to pick up a 19th league crown. Such an achievement would see them close the gap on United to just one domestic title.
United supporters, quite rightly, boast about their 20 triumphs, but with Klopp's Reds flying, it looks increasingly likely that their two-title buffer will be halved in May.
Off the pitch, too, the distance between the two historic rivals - the two most successful teams in English football history, no less - is continuing to reduce.
That much is proven , who note the ongoing from current champions of Europe.
According to the figures, after following up a 97-point Premier League campaign by winning the Champions League three weeks later in Madrid.
United, despite their struggles under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, recorded £627m for the same timeframe, leaving them £94m ahead of the Reds and £89m clear of local rivals Manchester City.
However, Liverpool posted a £78m increase from the previous year's, where United's was less than half that at £38m.
According to Deloitte, themselves, United are "at risk of losing the position as the Premier League’s highest revenue generating club for the first time in next year’s Money League."
In contrast, the Reds are poised to move further up the table as they continue their re-emergence under Klopp, which could include a first Premier League title in January 2021's official figures.
"The impact of participation and performance in UEFA club competitions on revenue is evident in London and the North West, with the rise of Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs driven by reaching the Champions League knockout stages," said Sam Boor, senior manager in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said.
"The relative decline of Arsenal is a direct result of not participating in the competition for a second consecutive season, a fate that may also befall Manchester United."
The gap on the pitch, right now, is perhaps as one sided as it has been in Liverpool's favour for much of the last three decades. It would appear to be showing in the literal fortunes away from the field, despite United's seemingly unshakable grounding as one of world football's pillars of power.
The figures are released at a time when events at Anfield, off the pitch, are showing the football club to be in rude health, financially.
Liverpool will begin a brand-new kit deal with Nike later this year that is expected to comfortably eclipse the £45m-a-year they earn currently from manufacturers New Balance, while work continues behind the scenes on Anfield expansion plan.
It's testament to the management of both the business and football operations at Anfield under owners Fenway Sports Group, boss Klopp and sporting director Michael Edwards.
