Liam Mackey: The loving of Liverpool

The League of Ireland faithful might not care to dwell on the fact but there will be huge numbers of Irish football fans feeling they have real skin in the game when Liverpool host Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

For all that Arsenal and Man City and Chelsea and Everton and Spurs and the rest command solid support on this island, a long and enduring history of close football and family ties across the Irish Sea with the two main cities of Lancashire has ensured that this fixture is probably the closest thing there is to a kind of Premier League version of an All-Ireland final even if, on this occasion, there is no silverware at stake and only one of the two teams is certifiably bound for ultimate domestic glory this season.