Red-hot Liverpool clear favorites as Everton fear Merseyside derby drubbing at Anfield

In a night of utter disarray for those concerned and connected with Manchester United, thanks to Liverpool, Gary Neville still had the clarity of mind to find the nail's head with the hammer.

"In the Premier League, we’ve looked at [Manchester] City and thought that’s an easy run-in, but actually that’s because we’re looking at Merseyside derby and Manchester United, which in an ordinary season would be tough, those two teams are appalling, they could be easier than any of the teams Manchester City have got. said the Sky Sports pundit.

It would have been an admission spoken through the most gritted of teeth, particularly where Tuesday's Anfield visitors United were concerned, but it was an astute piece of analysis.

Conventional wisdom of late has decreed that it is Liverpool whose run-in is more difficult when judged against that of Pep Guardiola's City. It's easy to see why such an opinion has been formed when taking a cursory glance at the fixture list.

Following the game with United, the Reds then meet Everton at Anfield, while a visit from Tottenham awaits them alongside a trip to Newcastle in the coming weeks. Jurgen Klopp's side will also face Aston Villa, Southampton and Wolves before the final whistle is blown on this campaign.

But the assertion that Liverpool's fixture list, specifically this week's games, is a tough examination of their title aspirations is built largely on the names of the clubs as opposed to the quality that either Manchester United or Everton have shown at any point this season.

It is not being wise after the event either with regards to Tuesday's 4-0 shellacking of United. This correspondent was at Anfield earlier this week and witnessed the sense of concern from those of a United persuasion from start to finish - a feeling that was almost tangible when the two team sheets dropped at 7pm.

Asked by a Liverpool official if he wanted a printed team sheet for the evening, Neville was quick with his response:

"No thank you," he offered. "I've already seen them, unfortunately!"

It was gallows humor from the former United skipper and he was right to be concerned too. A little over two hours later, he was cursing another abject defeat to United's fiercest of rivals at their most loathed venue. Liverpool were back on top of the Premier League having made light work of Ralf Rangnick's beleaguered players.

Liverpool are expected to dominate Everton based on current form

And so to Sunday where the Merseyside derby awaits. Again, traditional analysis would indicate that this game will be a huge one for the Reds against their local rivals who will be hell-bent on denying Klopp another big three points in their Premier League - and quadruple - hopes.

And Everton will move across Stanley Park in the knowledge of their first win at Anfield for the first time since 1999 last time out too. The reality is, though, the players in the shirts cannot match the badge on them. Liverpool, for good reason, are red-hot favorites.

Frank Lampard's Blues had an away record that was only better than Peterborough's in the entire football league last month. That means they were 91st out of 92 in that particular table and they have since lost to Tottenham (5-0!), West Ham and Burnley away from home.

Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of Liverpool's last defeat at Anfield in the Premier League with fans inside the ground, so odds of a confidence-shot Everton, a team who have won just one away game all season, getting a big win at a venue they haven't tasted victory at in front of fans for 23 years are likely to be slim.

So while the general idea is that Liverpool have a more difficult run-in to negotiate against City, a look at the fixture list for Pep Guardiola leaves plenty of room to debate that particular 'hot take'.

The champions have meetings with West Ham (away) and Wolves (away) in their seven-game run, while a trip to a reinvigorated Leeds United is complicated by a Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid either side of it.

For now, attention turns to the Merseyside derby for Liverpool and Everton can hardly have ever made their shortest away trip of the season with as much dread as they will do on Sunday.