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The highlight for some Manchester United fans during that apocalyptic throwback 2013-14 season was not Robin van Persie's hat-trick against Olympiakos or Patrice Evra's thunderbolt at Bayern Munich, but Steven Gerrard's slip against Chelsea.

Demba Ba will never need to buy a drink in Manchester should he ever visit and Jose Mourinho endeared himself even to those daft detractors who actually thought David Moyes was a better fit for United. Mourinho, unshaven and wearing a gilet, ran down the Anfield Road touchline, beating his chest and hollering seconds after Willian clinched victory to instigate Liverpool's spectacular title capitulation.

One reason Mourinho is perfect for United is he absolutely loathes Liverpool. Those blinkered United fans who thought his behaviour was unbecoming at their club are starting to cotton on to how similar Mourinho is to Sir Alex Ferguson. Mourinho's wry putdowns have begun and his assertion Liverpool are not a 'top club' was as withering as it was wonderful for United fans to read. Tribally, he is perfect.

Mourinho has history with Liverpool dating back to 2007 when he suggested they were a small club and a cup team. His remark about Liverpool's inability to attract eminent names was, like one of his counter-attacks, brutal and precise.

Who was the last genuine star to sign for Liverpool? Luis Suarez was a coup and had gained worldwide notoriety for his World Cup handball, yet he was bought from Ajax. Fernando Torres, coveted by Ferguson, was perhaps the last talent to join them and provoke enviable glances from United fans.

Mourinho first got under Liverpool's skins with that silent celebration in the 2005 League Cup final and Liverpool continue to bring out a different side in him. Mourinho was muted in victory against David Moyes's United in January 2014, subtly apologising to Javier Hernandez and Moyes on the sidelines with Chelsea 3-0 up and offering Nemanja Vidic a sympathetic wink following his late dismissal. Earlier that season, he conducted the cheerleading as Chelsea homed in on victory over Liverpool.

Liverpool's title drought has extended beyond the 26 years United fans endured between '67 and '93 and Mourinho, having done his utmost to prolong it in 2014, will continue to do likewise at Old Trafford. He has spoken glowingly about Jurgen Klopp in the past but, as Ferguson discovered with Rafael Benitez, once you become rivals the diplomacy subsides and the animosity rises.

Klopp spoke righteously about the Paul Pogba fee last month, bemoaning the money in football and how 'the game is about playing together'. You can imagine it stitched onto one of those sanctimonious banners that poke out of the Kop. Klopp was overwhelmed by Bayern Munich's financial muscle and the competition is arguably more intense in the Premier League.

Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier said United is 'no longer a club. It's a factory', and Robbie Fowler reckons Pogba is 'massively overrated'. They are entitled to their opinions, yet it smacks of a small-time syndrome akin to Everton's when they took umbrage at United trying to sign Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines three years ago.

Steve McManaman was more measured in his analysis on Tuesday night, insisting United are 'not strong enough' to regain the Premier League. Yet he asserted United were 'mad' to pay a world record fee for Pogba last month, focusing almost exclusively on the Frenchman's subdued Euro 2016. As United have discovered with Marcos Rojo, it is very foolish to judge a player solely on international tournament performances.

Anfield's modest capacity and four years without a trophy, as well as a quarter of a century without a championship, have contributed to Liverpool's diminishing reputation. When they have spent big, they have not spent well, too. Kenny Dalglish embarrassed his club on countless occasions during 2011-12 but especially in the transfer market - Fenway Sports Group's Moneyball strategy might actually have worked better if Brad Pitt was in charge rather than Dalglish. United are in a different ballpark to Liverpool.

The frittering goes further back than FSG. The 18-times champions have also paid club record fees for Andy Carroll, Djibril Cisse, Emile Heskey, Stan Collymore, Phil Babb and Dean Saunders. Carthorses and clowns.