The key numbers ahead of a crucial Premier League clash between Man Utd & Liverpool

[p]With only three points and one position separating them in the table, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/liverpool-lId4TMwf/manchester-utd-ppjDR086/?mid=zRIM7cR1"]there's everything to play for[/a] in terms of position, if not much else.[/p][h2]United's 29 points are the most of any team since Carrick's appointment[/h2][p]Landing the win for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]United[/a] would ensure Michael Carrick has guided the squad back to Champions League football for next season, whereas if the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Reds[/a] were to emerge victorious at the Theatre of Dreams, UCL qualification would need to be put on hold for at least another week.[/p][p]To put Carrick's success into some sort of perspective, no other club has won more than United's 29 points since their former player took over from Ruben Amorim.[/p][image alt="Man United vs Liverpool - Current league positions" id="15366b85-5918-45ed-b0d1-d2d929ca7cf4" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="5703f365-fefe-47e0-a403-da2b04b8d7ab" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]Indeed, the nine wins in 13 matches (D2, L2) are more than the Portuguese managed in his 20 games from the start of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign (W8, D7, L5).[/p][p]Six of the last seven games at Old Trafford have been won by the hosts, and United also have the third most points from home fixtures played this season (36).[/p][h2]Red Devils have the edge [/h2][p]Although the fixture has lost some of its lustre over the past few years, it's still one of a handful of English top-flight games each season that are a must-watch, no matter what, if anything, is at stake.[/p][p]Players are always up for these fixtures, and the crowds are always expectant, and more often than not, there's at least one talking point from matches between the two.[/p][image alt="Man United vs Liverpool - Recent head-to-head results" id="73eced10-36ec-4bd5-9ee5-8d6e41ddff96" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="268c387d-36e1-4bd3-ae3b-926e625294a2" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]United's only loss in their last five games came against Leeds United, whilst Arne Slot's side have only been beaten by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Paris Saint-Germain[/a] in their five most recent fixtures.[/p][p]In 193 meetings in all competitions, it's the Red Devils who have the edge with 74 wins to Liverpool's 65, with 54 matches being drawn.[/p][h2]Slot can make history[/h2][p]Both sides have scored at least twice in two of the last three meetings, with them having won one each and drawn the other.[/p][p]The last time they met at Old Trafford, it was Liverpool who took the plaudits after a 3-0 victory, and if they bag another victory on Sunday, Slot will have become the first Liverpool manager in history to have won his first two away league matches at the ground.[/p][embed guid="c4243c25-770d-4a98-b3c8-18b27e98030e" url="https://x.com/ManUtd/status/2049954443047932114" social-type="twitter" /][p]United did win the last fixture earlier this season at Anfield thanks to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maguire-harry/xG8v3YRA/"]Harry Maguire[/a]'s late intervention, and if they win again on Sunday, it would be the first time they'd completed the league double over Liverpool since 2015/16.[/p][p]The hosts have, however, won only three of the last 19 league clashes against the Reds, losing seven and drawing the other nine.[/p][h2]Liverpool in good form[/h2][p]Aside from winning last time at Old Trafford, Liverpool were victorious in another two of the last five matches at the venue (D1, L1), which is as many wins as they'd managed in the previous 18 fixtures in the red half of Manchester (D3, L12).[/p][p]The Reds' current three-game winning run in the league is also their best since the opening five games of the season, though Slot will be aware that his side has only won once in the last 12 games against teams starting the day in the top three (D7, L4).[/p][image alt="Liverpool's recent fixtures" id="5cc57b79-a004-448b-b2be-4a378866ab72" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="560fc90c-1d60-44d8-83f4-2be271b8b9c6" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]In order to turn the tide on that particular stat, Liverpool will need to limit the creativity of United's talisman, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandes-bruno/GYvAMDm2/"]Bruno Fernandes[/a].[/p][p]The Portuguese has not only created 114 chances already this season, a remarkable 53 more than any other player in the league, but he's just one assist behind the all-time record of 20 set by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henry-thierry/S4aJ3ciG/"]Thierry Henry[/a] in 2002/03 and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-bruyne-kevin/MsPs6OI5/"]Kevin De Bruyne[/a] in 2019/20.[/p][h2]No last fixture against United for Mo Salah[/h2][p]Liverpool need the attacking talent of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/isak-alexander/p41IV42c/"]Alexander Isak[/a] on show if they want to get anything out of the game.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/salah-mohamed/08FBycgB/"]Mohamed Salah[/a] would've been playing in his last-ever Premier League game vs United, a team against whom no one has scored more than his 13 goals in Premier League history, or the seven he'd plundered in league play at Old Trafford, but he's been ruled out with injury. [/p][embed guid="b9cc09ec-527d-45a3-bdfb-8466d5289513" url="https://x.com/LFC/status/2048145020344262813" social-type="twitter" /][p]Isak is at the totally opposite end of the scoring spectrum at present, and if he finds the net on Sunday, it would be the first time he's scored in consecutive games for the Reds.[/p][p]His last, and in fact only goal at Old Trafford, came back in December 2004 during [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/newcastle-utd/p6ahwuwJ/"]Newcastle[/a]'s 2-0 win.[/p][h2]Strap yourselves in...[/h2][p]With at least three goals having been scored in five of the last six fixtures between the teams, it would be a surprise to see the first goalless draw since December 2023.[/p][image alt="Man United v Liverpool - Live win probability" id="4d39848b-a629-4267-99ed-a435338acff2" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="f754f281-ef99-4521-a55a-a5131718526a" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]United have the second most total shots in the division in 25/26 (527 - Liverpool lead this stat with 528) as well as the most shots on target (194 - Liverpool have 154, the seventh best), so the Reds could be up against it.[/p][p]Strap yourselves in...[/p][image alt="Jason Pettigrove" id="05584628-6938-4ad5-a11a-edfd6e91f375" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="3455e73b-600c-4f96-8ac3-eff8ad8c10d2" original-width="1200" original-height="380" /]