Manchester United supporters feared another shellacking when rivals Liverpool made the visit to Old Trafford earlier this season.
After the worst year at the club for decades, any optimism for the new campaign with Erik ten Hag in charge quickly disappeared following defeats against Brighton and Brentford, which suggested a defeat against Liverpool was inevitable.
Liverpool won 9-0 on aggregate across both meetings against United last season and they signed Darwin Nunez in the summer, a player who moved to Anfield partly because key figures in Manchester were reluctant to be drawn into a bidding war.
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Jurgen Klopp's side had finished second in the Premier League, they had been superior on the pitch and Nunez had been added to their ranks from Benfica, to make matters worse, so it was hard to blame United supporters for lacking hope.
Around 10,000 fans marched against the Glazers from the Tollgate pub ahead of kick-off that evening in August and the tangible anger directed against the Glazers felt exacerbated by a feeling of inevitability about how the match would develop.
Manchester United should never fear Liverpool on home soil but the majority of fans would have taken a draw before kick-off and yet, the players delivered an outstanding performance to record an unlikely 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford got on the scoresheet and their goals were enough to ensure three points. A beaming Ten Hag punched the air at the full-time whistle and that result was the catalyst for a change of fortunes.
United defeated Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal after that win and, although they suffered a heavy loss in the Manchester derby at the start of October, there have been no major setbacks since and tremendous progress has been made.
Just seven months after Liverpool were defeated at Old Trafford, their club has looked in desperate need of a rebuild, while United have simultaneously improved to climb to third in the table and to lift the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
The Carabao Cup is hardly the most coveted prize in English football but it's a trophy. The competition has proved to be a springboard for major honours elsewhere for recent winners and it's hoped that trend will repeat itself with United.
The dressing room, which was broken last season, has been transformed and the winning mentality that has been created was evident on Wednesday against West Ham, when United secured a win despite not being at their best.
Liverpool will come next in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday afternoon and Ten Hag will be aiming to complete a double against Klopp's side this season, although United last won on Merseyside against their rivals seven years ago.
It was Louis van Gaal in charge when United last won there and Wayne Rooney provided the matchwinner in a narrow 1-0 win. David de Gea was instrumental on that particular afternoon, as Liverpool created the better chances.
Since that victory, United have made seven appearances at Anfield. They have lost four of those games, drawn three and conceded 11 goals and perhaps most concerningly, United have only scored a single goal across that period.
United's record at Anfield across the last seven years has been awful and Ten Hag has the challenge of improving it.
The Dutchman has exceeded expectations this season and a win on Sunday would represent another milestone.
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