LIVERPOOL V MAN U: STAT ATTACK
Ged Rea 13 December 2007
Liverpool Football Club's very own statto Ged Rea has compiled all manner of facts and figures ahead of Sunday's Premier League showndown with Manchester United.
LIVERPOOL v MANCHESTER UNITED
Head to head: (League only)
At Anfield: Liverpool 35 wins, United 21 wins, 18 draws.
Overall: Liverpool 49 wins, United 56 wins, 43 draws.
Liverpool are looking to record their 50th League win over United in this the 149th meeting between the sides in top-flight football.
There has been only one goalless draw between the sides in the Premiership - here in 2005/06.
No Liverpool player has scored a league goal against United since Danny Murphy from the penalty spot at Old Trafford in April 2004. Harry Kewell in November 2003 was the last to score in open play.
Liverpool's last league win here against today's opponents came in November 2001 when they won 3-1 with Michael Owen (two) and John Arne Riise scoring.
The last Liverpool player sent off against United was Sami Hyypia at Old Trafford in 2003. His first goal for the Reds also came against United in a 3-2 defeat here in September 1999.
Peter Beardsley scored the last of the six Liverpool hat-tricks against United in League meetings in September 1990 while Stan Pearson in 1946-47 has scored the last United hat-trick.
So far in the Premiership Liverpool have won seven of the 30 games with United taking maximum points in 16.
Rafa Benitez is looking to record his first league win over United at the seventh attempt. He did however oversee Liverpool's first FA Cup victory over United in 85 years thanks to a Peter Crouch goal on this ground in 2006.
Steven Gerrard has scored in each of his last six games at Anfield. Should he score in this match he will become the first player in Liverpool history to score in seven successive home games. Four others have scored in six in a row - John Aldridge (1987), Kevin Keegan (1976), Roger Hunt (1963-64) and Gordon Hodgson (1927).
In midweek he became the first player since John Aldridge in 1989 to score in seven consecutive games in all competitions.
Should he score against United he will equal the club record of eight in a row set by Dick Forshaw on 15th December 1924. (Almost 83 years to the day). He has scored in 10 of the Reds last 11 games.
Ryan Babel has come off the subs bench to score five times this season. Only five substitutes have ever scored more in their Anfield career - David Fairclough 18, Djibril Cisse 7, Michael Owen, Ian Rush and Vladimir Smicer (all 6).
Babel has not scored in his last six starts yet his last five goals have come in a total of 142 minutes as a substitute.
Fernando Torres has scored four goals in his last four games.
Liverpool's biggest ever win here was 7-1 in the first meeting between the two sides in October 1895 when United were known as Newton Heath. United's biggest win here was in December 1969 when they recorded a 4-1 victory.
The Reds have lost only one of their last 42 league games at Anfield. That was at the hands of today's opponents last March. In that period only two teams Charlton and Tottenham have managed to score more than once when they both secured 2-2 draws.
Liverpool's only league goal against United under Rafa Benitez came courtesy of a John O'Shea own goal.
John Arne Riise made his debut for Liverpool against United in the 2001 FA Charity Shield.
The Reds are currently eight points better off than they were at the same stage of last season while United are five points worse off.
Liverpool's defeat at Reading last weekend was their first in 16 league games. It was the first time they had conceded more than two goals in any of previous 47 games (41 in the league).
They have only failed to score in three league games this season - all goalless draws.
Liverpool are outscoring United this season in all competitions. They have netted 56 in 25 games - 13 more than United who have played a game fewer. United have failed to score in only one of their last 14 matches.
United are aiming to become only the second team in history to keep four successive league clean sheets at Anfield. Everton were the last team to achieve the feat in October 1910.
They have won 21 league games at Anfield, the same as Arsenal. Only Everton (23) have won more.
Paul Scholes earlier this season surpassed Ruud Van Nistelrooy as United's most prolific Premier League scorer with his 96th in the 1-1 draw at Portsmouth. Ryan Giggs has scored 95.
United have lost only one of the last 10 league meetings home and away.
United have failed to score in only two of the last 11 league visits to Anfield.
United's two league defeats this season have both come in the North-West. They lost 1-0 at Manchester City in August and by the same score at Bolton last month.
Last season Ryan Giggs won his ninth league winners medal which saw him break the previous record of eight sheared by Phil Neal and Alan Hansen.
Giggs scored his 100th league goal for United in last weekend's win over Derby County. He became the 11th player to achieve the feat for the club.
United have won three times on their travels this season in the league - at Everton (1-0), Birmingham (1-0) and Aston Villa (4-1).
Cristiano Ronaldo had scored 14 goals in his last 13 starts in all competitions.
So far this season, both United and Liverpool have kept nine clean sheets in the Premiership, one fewer than Chelsea.
Ryan Giggs has scored in every season since his debut in 1990-91. This is his 18th season in the top-flight.
United have scored nine goals away from home in the league this season - only seven teams have scored fewer.
However, they have just conceded six. Only Liverpool and West Ham have let in fewer on the road.
They have lost just once - at Bolton last month-in their last 14 games in all competitions.
Sir Alex Ferguson had to wait until his seventh season in charge before United won the title for the first time. Rafa Benitez is currently midway through his fourth.
Rafa has won 70 of his 129 league games in charge at Anfield with a win ratio of 54 per cent. Ferguson won 53 at the same stage for a win ratio of 41 per cent.
The United manager won one trophy in his first three full seasons in charge (FA Cup 1990) while Rafa won four in his including the European Cup and FA Cup).
Current League standings:
Liverpool: Pld 15 W 8 D 6 L 1 Goals For 27 Against 9 Points 30. Position: 4th.
Man United: Pld 16 W 11 D 3 L 2 Goals For 29 Against 8 Points 36 Position: 2nd.
Leading scorers this season: (League in brackets)
Liverpool: Torres 12 (6), Gerrard 11 (6), Kuyt 7 (3), Babel 6 (3), Benayoun 5 (1), Crouch 4 (0), Voronin 4 (3), Alonso 2 (2), Hyypia 2 (1), El Zhar 1 (0), Sissoko 1 (1), own goals 1 (1).
United: Ronaldo 14 (9), Tevez 8 (6), Rooney 7 (4), Giggs 3 (2), Ferdinand 2 (1), Nani 2 (2), Pique 2 (0), Saha 2 (2), Scholes 1 (1), Vidic 1 (1), own goals 1 (1).
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發表於 2007-12-12 02:58 PM
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