Slowly he did so, and since 1992 the boot has regularly been on the other foot: only once in the past 14 years have Liverpool had the best of it, at least in terms of positions.

Last May, of course, finishing fifth to United's third place, almost 20 points behind, was rendered academic to their followers by the astounding events of That Night In Istanbul, which means that the triumphalist banners at Old Trafford's away end when the teams meet again this afternoon will be decorated with five European Cups. Robbie Fowler was making the same point when he held up five fingers to United supporters after scoring for Manchester City against them last weekend. And waving images of the big-eared trophy around today will also serve to remind the locals that only one of the two clubs are still in this season's Champions League.

Now the question is whether that wheel is ready to settle at the western end of the East Lancs Road once more.

There is no doubt about which way it has been moving these past few months. Towards the end of October, an abject 2-0 defeat by Fulham left Rafael Benitez furious and publicly criticising an "attitude problem". His team had won two Premiership games all season, were 13th in the table and about to go out of the Carling Cup to Crystal Palace.

Yet since then they have been unbeatable, winning 11 League games and drawing the other, as well as topping their Champions League group. What was once a sevenpoint deficit on United has been cut to a single one, so that victory this afternoon would carry them into second place, still with two games in hand on their rivals. In the next month they will catch up with those two matches, away to Charlton (8 February, FA Cup replays permitting) and at home to Arsenal (14 February). There is also the little matter of a visit to Chelsea, for which today's encounter may be considered useful preparation, and a resumption of European competition against Benfica.

But try catching Benitez even contemplating more than one match at a time. "We have a difficult month with a lot of important games, and we'll see if the squad and the team are good enough, " was as far as he would go. "I'm not thinking ahead of Manchester United, I just want to see my team improve every day."

For all the likeable Spaniard's occasional histrionics on the touchline, it is easy to accept that putting an arm round a player comes more naturally to him than bawling one out. More animated he may be than SphinxGoran Eriksson, but his philosophy of football is essentially cerebral. "You know you must be calm, you can't play only with passion. I try to analyse calmly before, during and after a game. You need to play with your heart but also your brain."

Not since his time in charge of Real Madrid's under-19s can Benitez remember kicking anything in the dressingroom. His opposite number at Manchester United did not even manage to count as far as two before abusing the referee at half-time last week, though he has always got on well with Liverpool's managers and is pleasantly surprised at how (comparatively) decorous matches between the clubs have been.

Like Benitez, Ferguson is well up on the history of his club . . . "It's 16 years since they won the league and we went 26 years". Hence the importance to United . . . who, like Liverpool, are not going to be champions of England this season . . . of the two midweek matches bookending today's meeting. Four days ago they strolled to victory at the second attempt against Burton Albion in the FA Cup. This Wednesday there will be no liberties like Rio Ferdinand ambling around in midfield or Louis Saha casually frittering away chances when Blackburn Rovers arrive for the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final.

It may only be the unfashionable old League Cup, the Alan Hardaker Memorial Bauble. But it is a trophy.

"There's tremendous pressure on Liverpool and ourselves when you don't win trophies, " Ferguson admitted, 20 months on from his last one. Now the wheel is spinning again. And, as Dylan put it more than 40 years ago, around the time Bill Shankly was gearing up the Anfield Reds, there's no telling who it is naming.

FA PREMIERSHIP MANCHESTER UNITED v LIVERPOOL Old Trafford, 4.00 Live, Sky Sports 1, 3.30