Liverpool, Man United face Anfield impeachment vote

This is Anfield. And Anfield is where Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side have gone 65 games and two years and counting without defeat, the last team to beat them here having gone down to Championship and returned to the Premier League.

And in a week when the biggest talk among Ugandans is voting and foreign news impeachment vote in the US, Manchester United arrive at Merseyside for their sternest test yet in a decade.

It is an impeachment vote of its own on Sunday, this time inside an empty Anfield because of the coronavirus restrictions unlike last season when goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s quick wit released Mohammed Salah to sprint clear and hammer the death nail on United at the Kop End with the last kick of the game for a 2-0 win.

But the “impeachment vote” goes both sides. Liverpool are off colour and looking lost for ideas in defence in the absence of long time injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez while Joel Matip battles his on-and-off injuries.

To make matters worse for the Reds, their famed front three are struggling for relevance in the league and look utterly bereft of ideas.

Facing a resurgent United side that climbed three points clear at the top courtesy of a Paul Pogba sublime strike at Burnley midweek, Klopp will be desperate to keep their home record intact.

However, on the flipside of the “impeachment vote,” United face a litmus test of their credentials.

Top of the Premier League after New Year’s Day for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club at the end of his glittering dynasty in 2013, the Red Devils face the champions who have players who have never tasted defeat in the league at home.

There have been a few false dawns but  there is growing belief that United are on the cusp of reclaiming their place as the pre-eminent force in English football.

Gary Neville has been one of the fiercest critics of his former team, but believes something special is in the offing.

“Six to eight weks ago, you would never have thought that United would be anywhere near their position but now they find themselves with something building, a spirit growing,” the Sky Sports pundit said.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team is exuding the confidence not seen in them in a while. Against a tough Burnley, United avoided conceding on the road for the first time this season.

They will want to replicate that defensive master plan against Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino onslaught and Pogba believes the team is now built for the kill and can go all the way to claim the 21st league title.

League top scorer Salah and Mane were both on target in the FA Cup defeat of Aston Villa last weekend and have had more time to prepare for the visit of United.

While all eyes will be on Anfield, Manchester City’s steady rise after a sticky start has gathered pace and their 1-0 home win over Brighton on Wednesday lifted them up to third in the table, only four points from the top with a game in hand.
Pep Guardiola’s Citizens welcome Crystal Palace in Sunday’s late kickoff looking for a fifth straight win in the league.

With Spurs faltering and Chelsea desperately out of form, Leicester City might be the most likely to stop the title race becoming a north-west affair. The Foxes host seventh-placed Southampton on Saturday. – Agencies