17 December 2023 , 08:45
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Manchester United return to Anfield on Sunday for the first time since their historic 7-0 dismantling.
The thrashing at the hands of their arch-rivals in March felt like a nadir for the current generation of United stars, although they have found new depths to plunge in the months since. This time around, Erik ten Hag’s side head to Liverpool having already suffered 12 defeats in all competitions and their European hopes in tatters.
The Red Devils kicked off a daunting gauntlet of fixtures by losing to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford, a result which saw them crash out of Europe altogether. It doesn’t get any easier for Ten Hag and his beleaguered squad, with Jurgen Klopp ’s table-topping Reds waiting in the wings.
United actually finished two places and eight points ahead of Liverpool last term, but that has already proven to be a false dawn. A win over United on Sunday, would see Klopp’s charges move 13 points clear of their old foes after just 17 Premier League matches.
The gap could quickly become a chasm in front of the Kop, who will be hoping for a repeat of United’s visit last term. In one of the most infamous matches in English football history, braces from Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah, before a late Roberto Firmino strike earned Liverpool a stunning seven-goal victory.
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The final whistle preceded a lengthy autopsy from anyone of a Manchester United persuasion, with few able to pinpoint exactly what had gone wrong. After all, at the time the signs under Ten Hag were positive - certainly a lot more positive than they currently are.
But perhaps tunnel-cam footage can go some way to explaining that madcap afternoon. Wout Weghorst - the future Man United pub quiz answer - was in the side that day, one of his 17 Premier League appearances without scoring. And before kick off, he opted to touch the legendary ‘This is Anfield’ sign before running out onto the pitch.
Wout Weghorst opted to touch the 'This is Anfield' sign before Man Utd were thrashed by Liverpool (YouTube/Liverpool FC)As well as usually being the exclusive reservation of home players, his actions also went against Klopp’s request to his own players, having learned the hard way.
“I’ve told my players not to touch the ‘This Is Anfield’ sign until they win something!" Klopp said in 2016. "It's a sign of respect. I touched it when I was manager of Borussia Dortmund but we lost 4-0."
It didn’t work for Weghorst either, who was hooked by Ten Hag after an hour with the scoreline at 3-0. Maybe his performance was also impacted by the rousing home support, having previously admitted his fondness for Liverpool’s anthem.
“I always found Liverpool very special. I still get goosebumps from ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’," Weghorst told Goal and DAZN in 2020, when he was still at Wolfsburg. "There are other great English clubs too, and I always liked Milan because so many Dutch played there.”
In a response to the images, Weghorst suggested it was mind games gone bad, he said: "Normally I never react on media topics, but for this one, it's worth it because you amazing United fans are important to me. So I just want to clarify the video that is doing the rounds.
"From the National team, I know that Virgil always touches that sign and I went to stop him touching it to try and wind him up before the game. As a child I always supported FC Twente, and as a proud player now for Manchester United, my dedication to this incredible club can never be questioned."
That would prove to be Weghorst’s only appearance at Anfield for United, with an option to make his move permanent unsurprisingly snubbed. As for Ten Hag’s current crop of flops, they have enough to contend with before falling foul of any superstitious bad-luck charms.