As the Manchester United party get to an expectant Anfield tonight, they will doubtless recognise some of the atmosphere with a degree of bitterness. That is not just the feeling of what it’s like to be involved in an intensive title race, with so much on the line. Some of them may even remember events almost exactly 23 years ago. It is funny how football history tends to keep repeating in that way, albeit with a twist on what went before.
Then, as now, one of the primary remaining motivations for a storied English club was little more than stopping their main rivals from achieving a feat that went beyond anything they had achieved in their own previous dynasty.
