Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota has urged his side not to fall into “nonsense” when they host Manchester United on Tuesday.
The unforgettable reverse fixture at Old Trafford earlier in the season will live long in fans' memories, for opposing reasons. Jota netted Liverpool’s second goal in a 5-0 drubbing, which saw United subjected to their heaviest ever Premier League defeat to the Anfield club.
The result marked the beginning of the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sacked as manager less than a month later. He was replaced by Ralf Rangnick, who is now fighting for a top-four spot with United while Liverpool are going toe-to-toe with Manchester City for the title.
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Despite producing a humbling six months ago, Jota has told his team-mates not to let the result dictate how they approach the game at Anfield. Speaking to club media, he said: “That (5-0 win) was a great day for us, for the fans, for everyone to remember for a while.
“But we cannot get distracted by that result, because it will be nonsense from our side if we think it is going to be easy, or something, because Man United is never going to be easy. I think we did a fantastic job that day at Old Trafford and we need to be next to that level if you want to grab another three points.”
Jota - who has 21 goals this season - reiterated the importance of a Liverpool win with just seven games of the Premier League season to go. He added: “We know what it means to the fans, these kinds of classic games.
“It will be very tough for us and the first of seven finals that we have until the end of the season. So, [to] win is the only chance for us, even though it is not going to be easy to do that, so we need to be at our best.”
Meanwhile, United will be incentivised by their push for a Champions League spot amid big slip-ups from their top-four challengers in recent weeks.
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