Phil thompson began a defining week in Liverpool's ailing season yesterday with bullish talk, but the optimistic noises are starting to ring hollow.

"There's no better time for us to be going to Old Trafford," claimed the acting-manager though after one win from nine league games, some of his players might disagree. "The lads need to respond. Where better for them to do just that?"

Just over a month ago Liverpool, riding the crest of an emotional wave following Gerard Houllier's illness, had an 11-point lead over Manchester United. Thompson's side make the short journey down the M62 this evening conscious that defeat would leave them eight points adrift of the champions. Houllier is not back until next month. By then, with the defence of the FA Cup taking the Reds to Arsenal, domestic honours may have by-passed Anfield.

Liverpool's stuttering progress is epitomised in the personal slump of Danny Murphy. His 20-yard free-kick at Old Trafford 13 months ago not only earned them their first win at United for 10 years, but also convinced the sceptical Kop that he had a rosy future.

Last November, when Thompson's adrenalin-charged introduction was taking Liverpool to the top of the table, the 24-year-old's displays earned him a first England cap. Now the fizz has gone flat. Murphy has meandered into the mediocre, was booed when taken off against Southampton on Saturday and has been subject of a "chin-up" chat with his manager.

"You have to take the good with the bad," said Thompson, who may have to rely on Murphy tonight if Steven Gerrard fails to recover from a tight hamstring. "I felt for him. There was a lot of frustration from the fans but, in the cold light of day, I'm sure some would have regretted their reaction."

Murphy is not alone. Jamie Carragher, inhibited by the side's insistence on retaining six men behind the ball at all times, is rarely able to venture beyond the halfway line and - as the regular jeers testify - plays the ball forward even less frequently.

"To say three or four need to come good again is being kind to us," said Thompson. "We need more consistency, both as individuals and as a team. I know the capabilities of my squad; they still have the self-belief, and we can go on a similar run to last year. It's the same bunch of players, after all."

But not the same scenario. That sequence saw Liverpool win 11 of their final 18 Premiership games to motor into third place and complement their cup successes. The difference now is that they hit the top much earlier and, robbed of Houllier, failed to deal with the expectation.

"We are inexperienced at this," added Thompson. "We are trying to come back to power after a long absence. You have to respect United. They went through a spell when every mistake was costing them a goal, but they've re-discovered themselves."

For Ruud van Nistelrooy, 24 goals in 28 games for United and at least one in each of the last eight, tonight represents another step on the way to John Aldridge's top-flight record of 10 in a row and Dixie Dean's of 12 league games consecutively.