The Kop boys go to Old Trafford tomorrow seven points
behind leaders Manchester United, having played a game more.
Rooney, who left Goodison Park in August 2004, said: “I’m very
excited about the match. “I grew up an Everton fan, my whole family
are Everton fans and I grew up hating Liverpool. And that hasn’t
changed.”
That is why Rooney says he would like nothing better
than to put them to the sword and take United another step towards
an incredible haul of five trophies in a season.
Rooney, 23, said: “Liverpool have been brilliant and
put up a good challenge, but it will be great if on Saturday we can
finally finish that challenge off. "For me, it is our biggest game
of the season. If we can beat Liverpool it will almost certainly
put them out of the title race.
“For everyone at United, especially myself, that would
be a great feeling.” It is always a massive fixture but more so
with the destiny of the Premier League crown still just in the
balance.
So Rooney is expecting a red-hot occasion. He said:
“They are always anxious games against them and I am sure it will
be frantic with a lot of challenges. “It’s a massive fixture for
both clubs with what’s at stake.”
Both sides go into the lunchtime encounter on the back
of morale-boosting Champions League triumphs. United beat Inter
Milan 2-0 to go through to the last eight by the same score on
aggregate.
And Liverpool thrashed Real Madrid in the performance
of the week in the competition with a 4-0 win at Anfield to go
through 5-0 over the two legs. Rooney said: “I thought Liverpool
played really well against Real Madrid.
“They attacked with a lot of speed, they were
aggressive and put Real under a lot of pressure.” But United are
the reigning European kings, lifted the Club World Cup in December
and are aiming for their 11th Premier League success. And, if they
achieve that, the Old Trafford men will draw level with Liverpool’s
record of 18 top-flight championship titles.
Credit to manager Alex Ferguson after it appeared
Chelsea were embarking on their own decade of dominance when they
bagged Prem glory for the first time in 2005.
Rooney said: “It would be a great achievement for us to
win the league a third year running, especially after Roman
Abramovich came into Chelsea and they won it two seasons
running.
“At that point it was hard to see anyone else winning
it but we have shown again we are a quality team.” They certainly
showed that against Serie A champions and leaders Inter, claiming
victory at home without even playing at their best.
Rooney, who has 92 goals in 221 appearances, said: “It
was always going to be a difficult game but I thought we created
good opportunities and we took our chances. In the away game, we
showed a lot of maturity.
“In fact I think it was our best away performance in
the Champions League since I’ve been here. As a team we are more
confident going into games like these after winning it last year.
Results like this make us more confident that we can win it
again.
“We are still in for all the trophies. We know it’s
going to be difficult but we know it is all there for us. “We can
still get better this season, we can score more goals. Chelsea used
to win games 1-0 and if they got a goal they didn’t look like
conceding. “It’s the same with ourselves now. With our defence we
are confident we can hold on to the lead. “But we have been working
hard in training on taking more chances and we have done better at
that.”
Inter midfielder Patrick Vieira, 32, is convinced he
has just faced this season’s European champions. The ex-Arsenal
star said: “They have shown they have what it takes to win it
again. “They have underlined how strong their hunger is for more
success. In fact, they have what it takes to win every
competition.
"I’ve been watching some of their league games on
television and they have been winning game after game and that is
not easy to do in the English game.
“In the last two seasons they have been difficult to
catch.” Vieira believes it is the Fergie factor that keeps them at
the top. The Frenchman added: “Somebody has to drive the team every
day, every week, every year and he is the main man at the club, the
one who gives the club the winning spirit. “He’s been there for so
long and has won every thing there is to win. Yet year after year
he keeps winning games . . . and wanting to win more.”
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