Manchester United vs Liverpool preview: Denting Liverpool’s title hopes puts Ole in pole position

A humiliating 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in December proved the final straw for the Manchester United board. Jose Mourinho was sacked two days later and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was given the job on an interim basis days later. Few thought the Norwegian would ever get to a position where he would be a credible full-time replacement but that is becoming the case with each passing week.

Solskjaer has managed 11 wins in 13 matches in charge of United, with the only blemish on his record a humbling defeat at home to Paris Saint-Germain. The Red Devils have picked up impressive victories away to Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in that time and head into the weekend in fourth and in a FA Cup quarter-final.

The 45-year-old acknowledges it’s too late in the day to catch the top two but knows his side can still influence the title race. United welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday before hosting neighbourhood rivals Manchester City further down the line.

Liverpool and City are level on points, though the latter have played an extra game. Liverpool will have the chance to take the outright lead in the title race if they avoid defeat at Old Trafford, as City contest the Carabao Cup final, but a positive result over Mourinho’s conquerors will only strengthen Solskjaer’s position.

Jurgen Klopp’s side enjoyed 65% possession in Mourinho’s final game in charge and utterly dominated United. Mourinho’s side managed six shots to Liverpool’s 36 and Paul Pogba didn’t even come off the bench. The scoreline may not be too dissimilar on Sunday but you can almost certainly guarantee United’s application will be different.

Rather than watching from the sidelines, Pogba will be thrown the gauntlet of inspiring another United victory under Solskjaer. The 2018 World Cup winner is in the form of his life under the Norwegian. Pogba has played a direct hand in 15 goals in 12 games under Solskjaer, winning the WhoScored Man of the Match award on five occasions. Moreover, his WhoScored rating in the league has not dipped below 7.00 in nine games and you could argue there are few Premier League players that have shown this sort level of performances on a consistent basis all season.

Pogba is not the only player reborn since Mourinho was sacked. Marcus Rashford has rediscovered his mojo and is now above Romelu Lukaku in the pecking order as United’s leading striker. Ander Herrera is enjoying his best ever spell as a United player, while Victor Lindelof and Nemanja Matic have also benefitted.

Liverpool will certainly be out to spoil the party this weekend, not just because United are their fiercest rivals, but the Merseysiders cannot afford to lose the initiative in the title race. Victory on Sunday would be a major statement from Liverpool and the perfect way to bounce back from the disappointment of drawing 0-0 at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Virgil Van Dijk will return to the fold for the visitors after missing out in midweek through suspension.

United were not in the running to sign Van Dijk until it was too late and they must rue not rivalling Liverpool for the Dutchman’s signature earlier after watching the 27-year-old develop into one of the best players in the Premier League. United have made signing a world-class centre-back a priority at the end of the season and they will see first hand on Sunday the benefit of having one. Liverpool have kept 14 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, more than any other team, and you cannot understatement Van Dijk’s contribution to that.

Solskjaer and his coaching staff have already devised plans to outwit the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea this season and they will be busily coming up with another strategy to get the better of Liverpool. The Reds have only lost one Premier League game all season, though Klopp has not won at Old Trafford in three previous attempts. If Solskjaer can extend that record to four then he will grow increasingly confident of landing the full-time job at the end of the season.