Paul Scholes thinks Liverpool's failure to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in February will ultimately be the match that costs them the Premier League title, should they fail to leapfrog Manchester City in the final two games.
The Reds ground out a goalless draw against their great rivals at a moment when they still topped the table by three points from champions City.
On a frustrating afternoon, Jurgen Klopp saw his side fail to break down a depleted United team who lost three players to injury before half time.
Liverpool followed up with another 0-0 draw against Merseyside rivals Everton two weeks later, a result that finally allowed City to jump ahead of them having been seven points behind at the start of January.
Liverpool now face the possibility of finishing second with a total of 97 points, after City embarked on a stellar run of 12 straight wins and counting including a 2-0 win away at United last week.
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And Scholes thinks Klopp's team will live to rue those dropped points at Old Trafford at a moment when a depleted United were there for the taking.
"What these two teams have done has been sensational," said the former England midfielder . "Right through the season, I think. It's going to be difficult. I won't feel sorry for either of them. I won't be happy and I won't feel sorry for them.
"You've got to admire what they've done. When you look back on it, especially the last few games, I think Liverpool's biggest mistake was not beating United at Old Trafford.
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"When you see how many players United had missing. I think they had three injuries at the time. Jesse Lingard came on and pulled his hamstring. And Liverpool were really poor that day.
"And you saw the difference when City came to Old Trafford and were dominant, looked a really top team.
"I think Liverpool, ironically, could have lost it at Old Trafford."
