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BBC Sport Online: Football: Eng Prem

Thursday, 29 March, 2001, 21:50 GMT

Head to Head: Man U v Liverpool


FA Carling Premiership
at Anfield - Sat 31 March 2001
Kick Off: 12 noon

Liverpool Stats
Man Utd Stats
Fixture History
Referee Report

Most significant stats

  • The 136th League meeting brings together two clubs who between them have won 63 major trophies
  • Liverpool remain Britain's most successful club with 35 pieces of silverware - 18 Football League Championships, four European Cups, two Uefa Cups, five FA Cups, five League Cups and a Super Cup
  • Manchester United have 29 - 13 League Championship titles (6 of them in the Premiership), two European Cups, 1 Cup Winners' Cup, 1 Super Cup, 1 Inter-Continental Cup, 10 FA Cups, 1 League Cup
  • The Champions League Quarter-finalists are 9 points away from another Premiership title. The Old Trafford club, without a League defeat for three and a half months, would clinch the title after the Coventry City game at Old Trafford on Easter Saturday 14 April, if they and Arsenal won maximum points between now and then
  • This will be United's 48th match of the season as they go in search of a Champions League and Premiership double. It's Liverpool's 49th match. They're in search of a unique treble of the FA Cup, Uefa Cup and the already won Worthington Cup
  • United have drawn their last four away games, but rest in the knowledge that no club has ever caught such a commanding lead in the Premiership at this stage of the season
  • A draw would mean United had won exactly 1,100 League points under Sir Alex Ferguson
  • The game could mark the 200th League appearance for two United players - Nicky Butt and Gary Neville
  • Liverpool's Jamie Carragher gave away two own goals as United won the corresponding fixture 3-2 last season, when United's Andy Cole was sent off
  • United have won three of their last four visits to Anfield. They drew the other
  • But Liverpool won the reverse fixture thanks to a Danny Murphy strike. United's Luke Chadwick was shown the red card
  • Liverpool therefore are seeking their first Premiership 'double' of the season, first over United in the Premier League, and 7th over their arch rivals since League hostilities began in the 1895/96 season

    LIVERPOOL

    Current League position
    6th 46 points - 3 points below third

    Best Scenario at final whistle
    Up 3 to 3rd
    If win, while Sunderland and Leeds do no more than draw at the Stadium of Light

    Worst Scenario at final whistle
    will not fall from 6th
    as Leicester and Southampton do not play until Sunday and Monday respectively

    Sequences

  • 4 UNDEFEATED IN ALL COMPETITIONS [2 wins, 2 draws]
  • 5 HOME PREMIERSHIP MATCHES UNBEATEN [3 wins, 2 draws]

    Recent Form

  • Won 3 of last 6 Lge and Cup games
  • Won 5 of last 10
  • Lost 1 of last 6
  • Lost 1 of last 8 Premiership matches
  • Won 1 of last 6 Premier League games
  • Lost only 1 of 15 home Premiership matches this season
  • Lost 1 in last 16 home top flight games
  • Last defeat:-
    Leicester C 2-0 Liverpool, Prem, 3 Mar 2001
  • Last Home Prem defeat was three and a half months ago:-
    Liverpool 0-1 Ipswich T, 10 Dec 2000

    Potential Career Milestones

  • Nick BARMBY needs a double strike to record 50 career League goals
  • If he plays, Dietmar HAMANN will be making his 50th League appearance for Liverpool
  • Should Michael OWEN play, he'll be making his 150th appearance in senior club football

    NEXT MATCH:-
    Barcelona v Liverpool
    Uefa Cup Semi-final 1st Leg - Thursday 5th April 2001

    MANCHESTER UNITED

    Current League position
    TOP 70 points - 16 points clear

    Best Scenario at final whistle
    Stretch lead to 19 points
    If win, and Arsenal lose the North London derby with Spurs at Highbury

    Worst Scenario at final whistle
    Lead at top closed to 13 points
    If lose, and Arsenal win their derby clash

    Sequences

  • WON LAST 2 LGE & CUP GAMES
  • 10 UNDEFEATED IN ALL COMPETITIONS [5 wins, 5 draws]
  • 12 UNBEATEN IN THE PREMIERSHIP [9 wins, 3 draws]
  • 11 AWAY WITHOUT DEFEAT [5 wins, 6 draws]
  • 11 AWAY LEAGUE GAMES WITHOUT LOSS [7 wins, 4 draws]
  • DRAWN LAST 4 AWAY IN ALL COMPETITIONS

    Recent Form

  • 1 defeat in 18 Lge and Cup games
  • 1 loss in 22 Premiership games
  • Last defeat:-
    Manchester U 0-1 West Ham U
    FA Cup 4th Round, 28 Jan 2001
  • Last Premiership defeat:-
    Manchester U 0-1 Liverpool, 17 Dec 2000
  • Progressing full steam ahead to their 7th Premiership title in the 9th year of the competition and 14th Championship
  • In danger of breaking last season's Premier League record winning margin of 18 points
  • United have been top of the table since September 5th, all bar one week in early October when Leicester replaced them
  • Won more Premiership matches than any other club - 21 of 30
  • Lost fewer Premiership matches than any other club - 2 of 30
  • Hold the strongest top flight attack, with 68 goals from their 30 outings
  • Boast the tightest Premier League defence, with just 19 goals conceded from 30 matches
  • Failed to score just twice in the top flight and kept 16 clean sheets - Arsenal are second best with 14

    Potential Career Milestones

  • Roy KEANE needs a brace to record 50 career League goals
  • If Nicky BUTT and GARY NEVILLE play, they'll each be making their 200th League appearances for United

    BIRTHDAYS
    Player D.O.B. In relation to Match Day
    Teddy Sheringham 02/04/66 35 next Monday

    NEXT MATCH:-
    Manchester United v Bayern Munich
    Champions League Quarter final 1st Leg - Tuesday 3rd April 2001

    FIXTURE HISTORY
    HEAD TO HEAD
    Total Meetings L'pool
    Wins    		 Man U
    Wins    		 Draws
    All Comps* 157 50 58 49
    Premiership 17 3 8 6
    League+ 135 45 48 42
    * includes all games from the Premiership, Football League, FA Cup, League Cup and major European competitions
    + denotes Premiership and Football League

    UNITED AT LIVERPOOL
    Meetings W L D
    Premiership 8 4 2 2
    League+ 67 17 33 17
    + denotes Premiership and Football League

    LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING FIXTURE
    Date Result
    11 Sep 1999 Liverpool 2-3 Manchester U
    L'pool scorers: Hyypia 23, Berger 68
    United scorers: Cole 71, Carragher 3og, 44og
    Sent Off: Cole (Man U) 71
    Att: 44,929 - Ref: Graham Barber

    THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
    Date Result
    17 Dec 2000 Mancheter U 0-1 Liverpool
    L'pool scorer: Murphy 43
    Sent Off: Chadwick 89
    Att: 67,533 - Ref: Mike Riley

    REFEREES REPORT

    MAN IN THE MIDDLE
    GRAHAM POLL (Tring, Hertfordshire)
    PREMIERSHIP MATCHES RED CARDS YELLOW CARDS
    17.5 7 52
    PREMIERSHIP MATCHES OFFICIATED
    Date R Y Match R Y
    21 Aug 1 1 Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool 2 3
    26 Aug 0 1 Ipswich Town 1-0 Sunderland 0 0
    5 Sep 0 3 Leeds United 1-2 Manchester C 0 2
    9 Sep 0 0 Newcastle U 0-0 Chelsea 0 2
    30 Sep 0 2 Southampton 1-3 Middlesbrough 0 2
    28 Oct 0 0 Leicester C 2-1 Derby Co 0 3
    4 Nov 0 1 Coventry C 1-2 Manchester U 0 1
    12 Nov 0 4 Chelsea 1-1 Leeds United 0 5
    18 Nov 0 1 Newcastle U 1-2 Sunderland 0 3
    2 Dec 0 2 Manchester U 2-0 Tottenham H 0 1
    9 Dec 0 1 Sunderland 1-0 Middlesbrough 0 3
    23 Dec 0 1 Leicester C 2-1 West Ham U 0 0
    26 Dec 0 1 Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester U 0 2
    1 Jan 0 1 Charlton Ath 1-0 Arsenal 0 1
    31 Jan 2 1 Sunderland 0-1 Manchester U 1 0
    10 Feb 0 0 Southampton 2-0 Bradford C 0 1
    24 Feb 0 1 Ipswich T 2-0 Everton 1 1
    17 Mar 0 0 Tottenham H 3-0 Coventry C 0 1

    REFEREE NOTES

  • Mr Poll sent off Liverpool's Gary McAllister and Dietmar Hamann during the 2-0 loss at Arsenal on 21 August
  • The official also dismissed Andy Cole in United's 1-0 win at Sunderland on 31 January
  • Mr Poll was also in charge of Liverpool's 4-2 win over Manchester City in the 5th Round of the FA Cup at Anfield on 18 February. He did not book any Liverpool players

    Other officials
    Position Name
    Assistant G Turner
    Assistant P Canadine
    4th Official M Dean
    Observer D Shaw

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