Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders believes the impossible pursuit of perfection has driven the club to their current position as the Premier League’s best.

EVER been in a traffic jam for ages and discovered it was because of a fatal crash, miles down the road?

I can’t be the only quivering wreck around here, writes Steven Kelly.

Wayne Rooney offered 5,000 travelling supporters a reminder of former glories but, thanks in part to two goals from new striker Odion Ighalo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s current Manchester United side made another potentially significant step forward.

There was an important landmark in a developing horror on Thursday.

I’ll bite the bullet and boldly predict it’s inevitable; we are going to be playing in next season’s Champions League — and that’s as much as you’re going to get.

League One Shrewsbury have been handed a dream trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round if they can find a way past Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The European debuts came thick and fast as Munster said their farewells to the Heineken Champions Cup for another season and made a determined change of direction towards the Guinness PRO14.

Happy new year, and let’s start as we are likely to go on in 2020; with black facetiousness.

A year to the day since Liverpool last tasted defeat, in a reverse to Manchester City that effectively cost them the league title, Mohamed Salah helped ensure his team remained firmly on course to put that matter right in 2020.

In a period where Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea all won multiple titles, Jurgen Klopp’s side are pursuing their first.

Ask Audrey predicts good news for 2020, with Cork to bring a double-double back to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The bad news is that by the end of the year, the Páirc may be a water polo stadium

Yes, there was a degree of bitterness over the decisions and, obviously, these were the same petty snarks who’d revelled in our discomfort at the end of last season (so why sympathise?) But they’re right aren’t they?

The past and the present are in a permanent state of war with each other, generally over which is best — and never more so than in football.

Children of a certain age always end up asking one day ‘what is the Watford Gap, daddy?’ Yesterday, you might have suggested it was the chasm in the earth De Gea wished would open up after yet another of his blunders.

Munster coach said that 20-year old scrum-half Craig Casey has a bright career in front of him after an impressive first start.

A week which started with a recall to the Irish squad is set to end in further celebration for Quinn Roux when he makes his 100th appearance for Connacht on Saturday against Munster.

Saracens have named an almost totally different side to face Munster at Allianz Park tomorrow, while the Reds make one change from their 10-3 home win.

Ian Whittell on the biggest talking points from a dramatic Manchester Derby.

It was the first day of meteorological winter yesterday, and the temperature had duly dropped on cue, perhaps reminding some at Old Trafford of Ice Station Astana.

Welcome to the new reality. How long it’ll last is anybody’s guess.

It’s that most magical time of the year, as the yuletide song goes, and football certainly gave us a good dose of that old black stuff yesterday.

For much of the past few months, you could argue that the British Prime Minister whom Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has most resembled is Boris Johnson. A hugely popular potential saviour who ends up stumbling into one contretemps after another, yet somehow always manages to plough doggedly on to the next.

Manchester United reached the last 32 of the Europa League in convincing fashion last night, a competition which is taking on increasing importance for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in what has been a this frustrating ly average campaign.

Imagine for a moment you were the kind of John Bull-ish Anglo United fan who wears St George’s Cross underpants to bed. It would certainly have been a gutting week for you.

Sadio Mane rescued Liverpool as the Reds’ late show at Aston Villa maintained their title charge.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fears a lack of quality could cost his side Champions League qualification following a limp 1-0 loss at Bournemouth.

Liverpool have temporarily suspended the fan responsible for the offensive Divock Origi banner displayed at the Champions League match in Genk.

Nick McCarthy knew he would have a battle on his hands for game-time when he left Leinster for Munster during the season, but it’s a task he is fired-up for as he becomes the latest to make the journey south from the arch-rivals.

Liverpool finally laid one of the Champions League’s more bizarre statistical shortcomings to rest, but it was the performance of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain that will have most pleased manager Jurgen Klopp.

"Blimey. We almost beat the European champions in a game 90% of us had presumed would be heavily lost. And so now, please hold me back, lads."

Trillick 0-12 Errigal Ciaran 2-4

It is a record sixth time that the Argentina star has been named FIFA’s best player.

Liverpool began the defence of their Champions League crown on a losing note as Dries Mertens’ penalty and Fernando Llorente’s injury-time strike handed Napoli a 2-0 victory.

Is it me or are these international intervals getting longer? Maybe the reason they’re called ‘breaks’ is you end up wanting to break everything in the house.

“It’s United’s worst start for 27 years!” shrieked one UK tabloid yesterday. “Blimey, that sounds horrific,” I briefly muttered to myself, before remembering what season they were referring to: 1992/93.