Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has revealed that the squad are not interested in heaping misery on Manchester United on Monday, instead prioritising their need for points after their own inauspicious start.
United head into Monday’s game 19th in the table and in the middle of a crisis, but Liverpool are just four places ahead having drawn both of their first two games of the season – enough to leave them five points behind rivals Manchester City already.
While Fabinho confessed he would be happy to see United’s struggles continue, he made it clear that the Liverpool squad are solely focused on getting a much-needed win on the board.
“I don’t care if a win pushes them a little bit more into crisis, I just want to beat them and win three points,” the midfielder said. “It will be our first three points in the competition so there are a lot of things that give us motivation.
“I think Man Utd is a really big team and has big money to invest so when a thing like this is not successful, I think it is good for us because it is one less team that will fight for titles or to win championships.
“If this happens with City as well I would be happy. It is one less team that will fight with us.”
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Liverpool’s last trip to Old Trafford was a memorable one. The Reds romped to a 5-0 victory in October 2021 without the services of the injured Fabinho, who admitted he was disappointed that the triumph wasn’t even more emphatic.
“I remember the last away game against United, I was watching at home and sometimes I was shouting at the TV,” he said.
“To be honest, I wanted the team to attack more to try and score more goals because we had one more player in that moment, but it was the moment where the team tried to control more of the game and to stabilise the ball.
“As a fan, I wanted the team to score more because it was a big opportunity to do a historic score at Old Trafford but of course 5-0 was not bad. I was more on the fan side than a player side that day but then, because you are on the pitch so often, you understand both sides. I think the fans were happy with the 5-0.”