The whistle pierced through Anfield.
Liverpool kicked off.
Sturridge laid the ball back immediately, then made a darting run forward. The movement was deceiving, it pulled Manchester United's entire defensive line back, creating space behind them.
Gerrard controlled the ball but didn't push forward. This match couldn't be rushed. They needed to maintain possession, play with precision. He pressed both palms down, signaling his teammates to slow the tempo, then passed it back.
Julien hung around the right flank. Evra, tasked with marking him, moved with quicker steps than usual, trying to anticipate Julien's usual sudden bursts forward. He had to predict, it was the only way to keep up with Julien's movements.
In Evra's mind, this national team captain's dribbling range was like a kaleidoscope, constantly shifting, and very unpredictable.
After all, this wasn't their first encounter. During international training camps, when the squad split for practice matches, it was almost always him marking Julien. He knew Julien's game inside and out.
But this moment was different. For the first time, they stood on opposite sides of a North-West derby, and Evra's task was to lock down United's left flank.
It was an epic assignment.
In these opening minutes, Julien hadn't shown much movement, but United's 4-2-3-1 formation revealed Moyes's tactical adjustments everywhere. Carrick abandoned his usual playmaking role, dropping deep to the left to form a pincer movement with Evra. Phil Jones narrowed his positioning from right-back, ready to slide across and cover. Even Ashley Young tracked back unusually deep, his eyes constantly scanning for Julien's runs.
A murmurs of gasp rippled through Anfield.
Gerrard's through ball toward Julien was intercepted by Carrick. As the midfielder tried to advance, Henderson charged in, taking man and ball down together in one sliding challenge.
Marriner waved play on, the ball was won cleanly.
Carrick was instantly frustrated. He threw his hands up at the referee, but Marriner ignored him. There was no time for appeals anyway. Carrick scrambled to his feet and sprinted back.
Henderson won possession and quickly switched play wide.
When the ball reached Sturridge in central areas, Ferdinand was already pressed against his back, denying the turn.
Sturridge didn't even try. He knocked it back to the overlapping Gerrard with one touch.
Gerrard scanned the attacking third. United's defensive shape remained compact and organized.
He shifted the ball left. Coutinho cushioned it beautifully, facing Phil Jones with a bout of stepovers, but Jones held his ground, maintaining a safe distance without biting.
"Back! Pass it back!" Gerrard shouted.
Coutinho played it behind to the overlapping left-back Enrique. Liverpool reset their attack.
On the right, Julien began to drift.
Evra shadowed him step for step. Sweat was already forming at his temples. Defending Julien was exhausting, it demanded absolute concentration, every single second.
Still, Evra couldn't predict what came next.
Gerrard received the ball in midfield, spun in a full circle, it was a feint—then delivered a accurate diagonal pass.
Julien exploded into speed, overtaking Evra on the outside!
Evra spun and gave chase, but Julien already had half a yard. Then he cut inside.
Liverpool's attack shifted into high gear.
Henderson and Gerrard both called for the ball centrally. Evra, Carrick, even Vidic converged toward Julien.
Julien glanced toward the middle.
He looked ready to cross, but at the last moment flicked the ball with his heel to the overlapping Glen Johnson, who had bombed forward unmarked. Julien continued his diagonal run infield, dragging defenders with him.
The backheel pass was pure genius. It fooled United's entire backline.
Johnson's cross from the byline was completely uncontested.
Thud!
The ball whipped into the box. Sturridge, battling Ferdinand, peeled away to the near post and met it with a powerful header, drilling it toward goal from inside the six-yard box.
The ball rocketed toward the net at blistering speed.
In that instant, the entire Anfield crowd was ready to erupt. This looked like a certain goal.
But then—
De Gea flung himself across the goalmouth and palmed it away for a corner!
The stadium exhaled in disbelief.
On the Kop, fans who'd already raised their arms to celebrate froze mid-motion with mouths wide open. Scarves slipped from trembling hands and fell to the concrete.
"How is that even possible?!"
Sturridge knelt in the penalty area, hammering the turf with both fists, his face showed incredulity.
Near the United goal, De Gea sprung up immediately.
He didn't celebrate. Instead, he turned on his defenders with fury, poking his finger at the space they'd left unguarded. "Wake up! Are you asleep out here?! How can you let him cross that easily? And let Sturridge get a free header?!"
His voice resounded across the entire penalty area, reaching even the stands behind the goal.
Julien watched De Gea's miraculous save with a mixture of admiration and resignation.
David De Gea. The Spanish shot-stopper.
United had brought him from Atlético Madrid in 2011 for £17.8 million—a British record for a goalkeeper at the time. When he first arrived in the Premier League, the lanky Spaniard faced criticism for struggling with high balls in English football's physical aerial battles.
But within two seasons, he'd silenced the doubters with one extreme save after another.
His shot-stopping was near perfect with reflexes like a hunting cat, clean technique getting down low, and an almost supernatural ability to read shooting angles.
Julien knew that in the years to come, this Spanish international would become United's most reliable defensive asset. Even when the Red Devils' backline was repeatedly carved open, De Gea would stand as the final, impenetrable barrier.
"De Gea could save the fucking titanic " this meme among fans would become an accurate description of United's future for years to come.
If not for that infamous fax machine incident when his Real Madrid transfer collapsed, he might have become Madrid's number one instead of languishing at United for so long before his abrupt exit. After his departure, United turned to a Cameroonian goalkeeper with a penchant for butter fingers and questionable distribution—a keeper whose demands didn't match his performances.
Then people would miss De Gea. Not because he was perfect, but because they finally understood: a goalkeeper who occasionally can't react in time is far better than one who frequently reacts but parries the ball into his own net.
The corner came quickly.
Gerrard whipped it into the box. Bodies converged on the dropping ball.
Someone in the crowd got a touch.
The ball looped toward goal.
De Gea was there again, gathering it cleanly, snuffing out Liverpool's attack.
Liverpool supporters groaned in disappointment. Another chance was wasted.
United fans, meanwhile, grew confident. When De Gea was in this form, breaking through became nearly impossible.
De Gea didn't rush his distribution. United didn't want the tempo accelerating either.
The broadcast cut to the stands, focusing on Sir Alex Ferguson.
He wore a benevolent smile.
De Gea was his final gift to Manchester United.
The camera then panned to another section to Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool's former manager and club legend. The King himself.
These two consecutive close-ups carried profound meaning.
Any United or Liverpool supporter of a certain age understood the tangled history between these two men.
When Ferguson took charge of United in 1986, Dalglish was already managing Liverpool. By the time Ferguson retired from United in May 2013, Brendan Rodgers had taken over at Anfield.
During those twenty-six years, Liverpool cycled through ten different managers, Dalglish himself returned for a second spell.
For fans, especially Ferguson's admirers, the most memorable managerial rivalry between these clubs remained Ferguson versus Dalglish, the Anfield King against the Old Trafford Godfather.
Two Scotsmen were locked in a rivalry spanning over twenty-six years, stretching back through their playing days and battles at different clubs.
After Ferguson arrived at United, he transformed the Red Devils from constant challengers into genuine rivals, making them an attacking force.
During those years, legendary clashes unfolded: Strachan versus Alan Hansen, Gary Neville versus Gerrard, Keane versus Hyypiä, Owen returning to face Liverpool, Robson versus Beardsley, Carragher versus Nani.
Stars rotated through both squads, staging countless fierce confrontations.
Back then, Beardsley toying with United's entire defense, Dalglish's solo runs, Fowler humiliating Schmeichel, Owen's lightning breakthroughs, these were cherished Liverpool memories.
While Keane dominating Liverpool's midfield single-handedly, Cantona's powerful presence at Anfield, Berbatov's hat-trick, Gerrard's own-goal "assist," and Rooney's sheer dominance became United's proud moments.
Then there were the darker incidents: Riise's rocket shot breaking Alan Smith's leg, Carragher's malicious challenge on Nani, Gary Neville's provocative celebration toward the Kop, Rooney an Everton youth product carrying double hatred toward Liverpool.
For Ferguson and Dalglish personally, their acquaintance dated back to the 1960s.
In 1969, they faced each other in a Glasgow reserve team Old Firm derby. Ferguson was fading from the first team; Dalglish was an eighteen-year-old upstart playing defender, tasked with marking Ferguson.
Details of that match have been lost to time. Their later memories also differed.
Dalglish remembered: "My deepest memory is Ferguson's elbows, constantly swinging near my face. Annoying as hell. But I was solid—he didn't trouble me. I remember we won 2-0, though I've read Ferguson's version where he claims he scored. Can't remember clearly, but beating them? No question."
Ferguson remembered: "Kenny man-marked me, really tight, it was extremely uncomfortable. I warned him 'you're going to need a doctor,' but he just looked at me and tackled me again. He was a great player. People forget the most essential quality of great players is bravery, and he was brave as a lion. He'd take a kick from anyone and give it back."
Later, as managers, Dalglish dominated throughout the 1980s until February 1991, when he resigned due to health concerns. The Ferguson-Dalglish rivalry paused.
During seven seasons managing Liverpool, Dalglish delivered three league titles and two FA Cups, establishing Liverpool's dominance over English football in the eighties.
Ferguson and United could only watch Liverpool harvest trophies.
After the 1990s began, particularly in the Premier League era, Ferguson's United rose to power. The Red Devils collected silverware, demolished opponents. Ferguson's era had arrived.
But Dalglish responded in his own way.
In October 1991, he took over Blackburn Rovers. By the 1994-95 season, he'd broken United's Premier League monopoly, leading Blackburn to the title.
Another victory for Dalglish over Ferguson.
Liverpool fans celebrated as if they'd won it themselves, reveling in schadenfreude, mocking Ferguson and United at Anfield.
As for transfers between the clubs, there had been none in decades. No players moved directly between them, not even staff members.
The hatred ran too deep.
Nobody could bear that pressure and venom.
When Heinze lost his starting position at United and wanted to join Liverpool, It is said, Gary Neville instantly threatened him: "I'll break your legs. Let's see how you crawl over there."
Then came the squad's complete isolation of him and United fans' fury. Supporters demonstrated outside Heinze's home, some shouting, "We'll kill you!"
United rejected Liverpool's bid thoroughly. The Argentine eventually moved to Real Madrid.
Liverpool's former golden boy, Michael Owen, had an even more complicated journey. He'd been the Kop's beloved, but under Benítez lost his place and opportunity. After injury-plagued spells at Real Madrid and Newcastle, he found himself unemployed.
When Owen desperately sought a club, even Liverpool rejected his return. Only Ferguson's United took him in.
After that, every trip to Anfield saw Owen with a heavy expression. Liverpool fans consistently hurled abuse at him: "Judas," "Traitor."
He had it slightly easier because other clubs had discarded him first, he had nowhere else to go. If he'd transferred directly from Liverpool to United, his life might genuinely have been in danger.
The camera returned to the pitch.
Veteran United and Liverpool supporters watching on television felt a wrench seeing Ferguson and Dalglish in the stands.
They'd actually retired.
An era had ended.
When Dalglish conquered the league, Ferguson arrived at United.
When Dalglish led Liverpool to glory, Ferguson was at United.
When Dalglish left Liverpool, Ferguson remained at United.
When Dalglish won the title with Blackburn, Ferguson was still at United.
When Dalglish returned to Liverpool, Ferguson was still at United.
Finally, when Dalglish retired and stepped away, Ferguson was still at United...
Only after the summer of 2013 did the Ferguson-Dalglish story conclude.
The United-Liverpool rivalry would continue, but football would never see Ferguson and Dalglish again.
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