Sir Alex Ferguson once famously promised to knock Liverpool ‘off their perch’, and Phil Thompson couldn’t resist taking a swipe at the Scot after his beloved Reds won the title five years ago
Arsenal might have been Liverpool’s closest challengers this season, but their true rivals were – and always have been – Manchester United. With the 2024/25 Premier League title now secured, the Reds have drawn level with United, matching their historic tally of 20 top-flight championships.
For Liverpool fans, this moment is more than a trophy – it’s a symbolic reclaiming of their perch, a direct nod to Sir Alex Ferguson’s bold 1993 vow to “knock Liverpool off their f***ing perch”.
The battle between the two clubs to be top dog has captivated English football for decades, and Liverpool legend Phil Thompson couldn’t resist rubbing salt into United’s wounds after his former team clinched their first Premier League title back in 2020.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Thompson gleefully beamed: “We are back on our perch. It’s been a long time coming. I didn’t use the expletives that came before it, but we are back!”
Back then, Liverpool had waited 30 years for a championship, watching helplessly as Ferguson’s United dominated, amassing trophies and surpassing them as England’s most successful club. Thompson called the long wait “a burden on everyone,” emphasising that reclaiming the league title carried greater weight than even European glory.
“It’s been a generation, 30 years. Yes we’ve had the Champions League, but for Liverpool it has always been about the championship. And we have not been able to get our hands on it. And it’s been a burden to everybody.
“All our managers have had to carry it. And I think now, to Jurgen Klopp, the players, my utter congratulations because it has been hard. It has been the holy grail and we’ve done it tonight.”
What makes this moment even sweeter for Liverpool is the prospect of going one better. A 21st title, which would see them surpass United, is now tantalisingly close.
As Thompson hinted in 2020, the tide was turning, and Liverpool’s resurgence has been remarkable. For United, the comparisons are stark. While Liverpool have soared, they have struggled to recapture their Ferguson-era glory.
By guiding Liverpool to glory this season, Arne Slot has become the 12th manager to win the Premier League, and just the fifth man to do it in his debut season in English football. He’s also poised to set a record points gap between Liverpool and United, with a remarkable 43-point chasm between them at the moment – six more than the 37 points difference United established over Liverpool in 1998/99 and 2011/12.
If they can replicate that next season, they’ll have every chance of winning back-to-back titles, and officially reclaiming their old spot atop their perch.
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