It took Sir Alex Ferguson 27 years to ‘knock Liverpool off their f****ing hedgehog’… Slot could undo that in his first season| All Football

SIR ALEX FERGUSON claimed his biggest challenge as Manchester United manager was to “knock Liverpool off their f***** urchin”.

When the great Scot left Old Trafford after clinching one last Premier League title in 2013, f***** mission was accomplished.

But what Fergie achieved during a glorious 27-year reign, new Kop manager Arne Slot threatens to undo in his first season.

The crown which United won 12 years ago was their 20th, putting them two clear of Liverpool at the top of the English champions list.

Jurgen Klopp brought the Merseysiders back to one of United by taking the crown in 2019-20.

So if Slott can convert his side’s current lead at the top of the table into a trophy lift in May, it will put them level with their rivals in the North West.

And given Liverpool’s excellent record in the European Cup and Champions League – with six wins to United’s three – the Anfield faithful would once again have the numbers to back their claim as England’s best club.

The only crumb of comfort for United fans in recent years is that the other side on the M62 has failed to capitalize on United’s decline in the same way that Fergie filled his boots during Liverpool’s barren years.

Many Reds fans would argue that their team fell off that perch rather than being pushed by United.

Poor recruitment and a failure to take advantage of the Premier League’s breakaway commercial opportunities cost the Kop as much as United’s quality under Fergie.

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Between Kenny Dalglish’s third and final league title as Liverpool manager in 1990 and Klopp’s triumph 30 years later, Ferguson and United were champions 13 times.

After Klopp announced his decision to leave Anfield last January – and his second bid for a Quadruple fell even more flat than the first – United fans probably breathed a sigh of relief.

They have seen how difficult it is to replace an iconic manager and compete with those other noisy neighbours, Manchester City.

But Slott has come to Anfield – and, rather than picking up where Klopp left off, has drawn new heights from a group of players who looked abysmal in finishing third in last season’s three-way title race.

So the United faithful will travel to Anfield for Sunday’s game fearing not only another hiding on the day but also a lingering kick in the gut at the end of the season.

The Red Devils’ recent record in the Premier League against Liverpool is disgraceful, with just one win in the last eight meetings and six goals scored compared to the Reds’ 26.

Losing to your fiercest rivals is bad enough, but the manner of defeat has often been shocking.

In the 2021-22 season, Klopp’s Reds won 5-0 at Old Trafford and then 4-0 at home. But United’s real nadir came at Anfield on March 5, 2023 when Liverpool scored seven without reply.

Not only was it the biggest margin of victory in a competition dating back to 1894, it was also equal to the worst defeat in United’s history.

Yet most Liverpool fans would trade a one-off punch like this for another championship.

And despite the apparent superiority of their team at the moment, there will be a small voice of caution in the back of all but the most optimistic fans’ minds.

Because failing to beat United has damaged Klopp’s title bids more than once.

In February 2019, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team managed to hold Liverpool to a 0-0 draw at Anfield. The Reds finished an agonizing one point behind City at the end of the season.

And Erik ten Hag’s United drew both league games against Klopp’s side last season.

If Liverpool had beaten United at Old Trafford on April 7, they would have been level on points with City and two ahead of Arsenal with six games to go.

But after Mo Salah’s late penalty salvaged a 2-2 draw, Liverpool lost at home to Crystal Palace the following weekend and watched another chance for the title slip away.

There is now encouragement for United fans that their team can still pick themselves up when they play against Liverpool and Form can go out the window in this fierce derby.

Bruno Fernandes grabbed the winner in a 3-2 FA Cup fourth round win in January 2021.

And most memorably last March, United came from behind twice to beat Liverpool 4-3 in the sixth round and went on to lift the trophy.

The hero of that victory at Old Trafford was Amad Diallo, with a dramatic winner in stoppage time at the end of extra time. Or, to put it another way, in Fergie’s time.

How United fans would love another shock win for Ruben Amorim’s new side on Sunday.

And recapture hope that their club can remain alone on the perch to win a title where Ferguson left them.