Bookended by clashes with Burnley and Preston, we examine the Reds' post-war top flight record against 10 clubs who fall within the historical boundaries of Lancashire...
Infographic: The Lancashire league table >
London has the biggest concentration of clubs in this season's Barclays Premier League – six – but if it wasn’t for the government deciding to muddle with the map in the early 1970s, Lancashire would be just one behind.
Manchester United and midweek opponents Burnley join Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City in falling within the boundaries of what was one of England’s largest counties – and when it comes to league titles, the capital city is no match for that lot.
To many people, these historic clubs remain in Lancashire, despite what the map of England might now claim. The break-up of many English regions in order to create six ‘metropolitan counties’ in 1974 was intended to simplify local government, but more than anything it led to gasps of horror from traditionalists and endless head-scratching from, well, pretty much everybody.
The emergence of Merseyside and Greater Manchester as distinct counties meant the new-look Lancashire lost four football clubs that had each been crowned English champions within the preceding seven years (United, City, Liverpool, Everton). And then there were the numerous clubs from the divisions
