Northwest Derby (1)
The Northwest Derby is the rivalry match between Liverpool and Manchester United—two prestigious clubs that represent the English Premier League and hold top-tier status even on the global stage.
As the name suggests, both clubs are located in Northwest England, with their home cities of Liverpool and Manchester separated by just 35 miles across a river.
Like most regional derbies, the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United stems from local pride, but since both teams have long aimed for the top of English professional football, it's formed a rivalry in the truest sense.
If La Liga has Barcelona vs. Real Madrid's El Clásico, then the Premier League has Liverpool vs. Manchester United's Northwest Derby.
Interestingly, though, the number of seasons where these two teams directly competed for the title can be counted on one hand.
In the 70s and 80s, when Liverpool dominated, Manchester United went 25 years without a league title, mired in a slump.
From the 90s to the 2010s, it was the era of the Manchester United dynasty we all know, while Liverpool endured a 29-year league title drought.
Since then, as everyone knows, Manchester United has gradually entered a dark age, while Liverpool has been enjoying an all-time golden era, splitting Premier League titles with Manchester City.
In other words, our Manchester United are the underdogs right now.
Heroes emerge in chaotic times.
That means to overcome this chaos, reverse the power dynamic between the two clubs once more—a hero needs to step up.
I believe that hero is Ban Yeager.
The Miracle of Anfield will take on a whole new meaning from now on.
└ 2:30 AM kickoff, can't blame him lol
└ Why do the Brits always play football when normal people are sleeping???
└ The Manchester name makes it feel even more like that lol
└ Even with full strength, it's Ban Yeager carrying lololol
└ Yeah but in a good way, full United squad could def beat Liverpool
└ Hugo Norwich
└ Insane lololololol
└ That bald prick I know?
└ Plenty of bald refs but if you remember him specifically, yeah Anthony Taylor lolololololol
└ If he's reffing, even a win'll feel shit
└ How bad can he be lol
└ Calls are dogshit but ego's massive
└ Oh...
Today's Premier League Round 9 clash between Liverpool and Manchester United is a match that can't help but draw massive attention.
Not just because it's the Premier League's biggest derby rivalry, but there's another huge factor fueling the hype.
That factor? The referee: Anthony Taylor.
He's proven himself the worst ref in countless games, to the point where football fans get anxious just hearing his name before kickoff—and he never fails to live down to those expectations with consistent blunders.
Fans everywhere wonder how he keeps his job.
Hell, he's even on the UEFA Elite referee list, getting assigned to big matches on purpose.
So in that sense, with this Liverpool vs. Manchester United being a major big match, assigning an "elite" ref like him makes a twisted kind of sense.
Whose lucky break will Anthony Taylor's screw-ups be today? That's another key watchpoint.
└ Ban Yeager influx turning this into a sea of casual fans lol
└ Shut up and watch newbies lol
└ Long careers = more memories of their bullshit lol
└ Just attention whores lololol
Northwest Derby.
Anthony Taylor as ref.
And both teams rotated in their last match, so they can field full-strength lineups today.
Not just for the fans of either side—even casual football watchers are screaming "This one's a must-watch fr lol."
And all that hype and attention? It's being soaked up by Bban Ye, Ban Yeager's little sister, who's riding high on her "real sister of the star" title.
——
<<Liverpool's gonna regret hosting today. Ban Yeager's fired up seeing red kits—unstoppable win lust rn fr>>
[Pfft... Thanks for the 100,000 won donation! Let's cheer hard together!]
[Alright, everyone focus up! Time to break down Liverpool's starting lineup!]
<<How's the analysis from Bban Ye, who has Ballon d'Or #4, Man United's heart, Club World Cup Golden Ball winner Ban Yeager as her real big bro???>>
[...Thanks for the 100,000 won donation! Uh... gonna turn off donations for now!]
[...Now, Manchester United's starting lineup!!!]
She knows full well there's no need to feel burdened just because her big bro's a pro footballer—being related doesn't automatically make her a football expert.
But Bban Ye, who's more passionate about football than anyone, starts feeling the real pressure precisely because of that sincerity.