The past few weeks have witnessed a fierce debate over where the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City stands in the Premier League pantheon.
Sure, there's little doubt over the quality of the teams, the likes of which English football has never before seen. Astonishing points totals and trophies garnered are evidence of that, so too the two recent meetings between the sides, last weekend's thrilling 2-2 Premier League draw followed by the Reds' enthralling 3-2 FA Cup semi-final triumph at Wembley.
For some, though, the fixture lacks the competitive - well, let's be blunt, nasty - edge of great tussles past, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and City counterpart Pep Guardiola effusive in praise of each other's team with players on both sides hugely complimentary of the opposition.
Such people need to cast their gaze away from the pitch. An element of needle in this showdown has emerged among the fanbases. And matters have taken an unnecessarily and worryingly ugly turn during the past fortnight.
READ MORE: Guardiola condemns City fans who disrupted Liverpool Hillsborough silence
READ MORE: Liverpool take ownership of iconic Hillsborough banner as new 97 version unveiled
First, a history lesson. The short geographical distance between Liverpool and City means there has always been an undercurrent of suspicion between the respective support. That's the same in any such situation. Human nature.
But City have rarely been at the top of Liverpool's list of foes. For the Reds, such games haven't had the historic and parochial importance of facing Everton, the mixture of hatred and grudging respect of taking on Manchester United, the stereotypical north/south divide of scrapping with Arsenal or, at least in the Premier League era, the sheer bitterness of encounters with Chelsea.
That City and Liverpool have not often competed at the same rarefied level is chief reason why the rivalry hasn't had much chance to manifest itself until recent years, when City's money-driven rise, most latterly under Guardiola's tutelage, has coincided with the Reds being revived under Klopp.
As with Liverpool and United, the two sets of supporters have, on a base level, far more in common than they would openly care to admit, even if to outsiders it would appear obvious - clubs formed in similar North West cities who by and large share the same goals, ambitions, history and mindsets.
Which brings us to events at Wembley on Saturday, when a group of City fans chanted throughout the minute's silence in memory of the 97 victims of the Hillsborough tragedy. The Liverpool end - and, it must be said, many City supporters - were outraged, with referee Michael Oliver being forced to cut short the period of remembrance.
The previous Sunday, City launched an investigation after footage circulated on social media appearing to show two home fans mocking the Hillsborough disaster. And they were swift to issue a statement after the FA Cup incident.
“Manchester City are extremely disappointed with the actions of some City supporters during the minute’s silence before today’s game,” they said. “The Club sincerely apologises to all those connected with Liverpool Football Club.”
Many, however, noted the apology did not appear on any official club channels, with even Guardiola's post-match condemnation also conspicuous by its absence.
Clubs are, for good reason, often mindful of criticising their own. Liverpool, though, made a point at the start of the season of swiftly addressing homophobic chants aimed at Norwich City's on-loan Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour, Jurgen Klopp meeting with Kop Outs founder Paul Amann to criticise the abuse and promote inclusivity.
City would be wise to do something similar before the situation is allowed to fester, given there is every chance the teams could meet in the Champions League final in Paris next month. They owe it to the vast majority of their support.
But why has Hillsborough again become the subject of distasteful mockery?
It could be a question of education. The tragedy is now 33 years ago - more than a generation away - and while those associated with Liverpool and what happened that day are well aware of the subsequent timeline and pursuit of truth and justice, that's not the same for everyone, particularly those who weren't alive at the time. They won't recall how so many clubs, including City, rallied in support of Liverpool in the knowledge it could easily have been their fans involved. And the longer the distance in time, the less the emotional connection. To some, Hillsborough-baiting has shamefully become fair game.
Six years ago, I wrote about how the festering bad blood between Liverpool and Manchester United fans regarding the tragedies of Munich, Heysel and Hillsborough had descended into using the loss of human life in an attempt to score points over rivals. The situation now is not too dissimilar.
What also hasn't helped is the 16-month period when most supporters were locked out of stadia due to coronavirus restrictions. The excitement at their return at the start of this campaign has prompted a number of incidents across the country, kickstarted by the unseemly scenes at England's Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy last summer.
Banter and the desire to antagonise will always be part of the game. And so it should. Football fans can be cruel, pinpointing weaknesses - personal or collective - and pouncing on them. But there's a line - and those City fans who disrespected the memory of the Hillsborough victims were far beyond it.
Of course, it has been overstepped before. Ahead of the Champions League quarter-final meeting at Anfield in 2018, the City team coach was pelted by bottles and projectiles thrown by the waiting Liverpool supporters, resulting in damage to the coach and a frightening journey for the City players and staff. Those involved were rightly and widely condemned, and there has been no subsequent repeat.
It's up to City now to take steps to ensure likewise following events at Wembley. Because if not, a thrilling rivalry between two clubs is in danger of being overshadowed by a depressingly familiar issue.
