Alex Ferguson never made any secret of his main priority when he took charge of Manchester United.
Knocking Liverpool off their fabled perch looked a mountainous task when the Scot arrived at Old Trafford in November 1986 but by the time he began the final season of his 26-year reign, he had engineered the Red Devils past Anfield’s seemingly unsurpassable total of 18 league championships and would extend that further the following May.
Ferguson’s stature, authority and influence within the game exuded a power which reached far beyond his own dressing room and club, with many Liverpool supporters having longed bemoaned the failure of many to face down and challenge the firebrand manager.
