Unsurprisingly, given the way most recent encounters went and the likely tactics Jose Mourinho would employ, Saturday's Premier League comeback at Anfield proved to be a disappointment as Liverpool and Manchester United ground out a scoreless draw.
The consensus was that Man United would be happier to pick up a point in comparison to Liverpool.
As ex-Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin said as he joined us tonight as always on a Monday, what we saw on Saturday is just the way Mourinho does things in big games.
But could Man United have made more of a fist of making an impact in the opposition half, especially with Liverpool's porous defence in mind? And with Manchester City rampant, would United need to be more tilted towards attack in the major away fixtures as the season wears on?
Pat pondered whether United "really believe" they can win the league this season and whether fans will put up with the approach.
"I'm not to sure at the moment," he said on the belief point, "I think they can stay on the coattails [of City] and then the biggest one we're all looking forward to is the City-United game and United-City game. They will be phenomenally interesting because a lot will become clear then.
"Because if United get a couple of draws there in the hope that Manchester City start fading a bit when the European games come thick and fast, I just don't think it's going to happen."
Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp, left, and Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho, right, react on the sidelines during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield, Liverpool, England, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Adding a more rhetorical question, Pat pondered, "Is second really that bad for Man United? And if they play the way they're doing, they'll get second."
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp has now been in charge of Liverpool for two years and a week but Pat feels the jury is out when it comes to whether his time in charge has been a clear upgrade from the overall Brendan Rodgers era.
"I still feel the jury's got to be still out on that," he said.
Pat also waxed lyrical about the way Manchester City dismantled Stoke City 7-2 and feels that with the class of players they now have at the club, the good form "petering out" doesn't look likely, while he also pointed to Swansea's two goal hero against Huddersfield, Tammy Abraham, as the only recent Chelsea academy graduate he feels would be good enough to feature for the Blues youth team.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
