Now, here's a question for you all to ponder. In one corner is a team who, despite winning the in dramatic fashion, saw their title challenge slip away in the closing weeks with their hugely successful and popular manager then walking away to prompt a period of uncertainty and unexpected tumult. And in the other is one who, despite publicly decrying their admittedly lengthy injury list this season, have lifted the and claimed silverware for the second successive season under their current boss.

No prizes for guessing the identity of the two teams. But it does lead to the obvious poser - having won what is traditionally the more glamorous honour, have Manchester United now enjoyed a more successful season than As ever, matters are rarely so black and white. For a start, while United have dropped down to the , Liverpool's third-placed finish means they have returned to the after a season on the outside, a reversal of last season's fortunes.

And there's no escaping the fact the Old Trafford side posted their worst-ever Premier League finish of eighth and finished a whopping 22 points behind Liverpool. But the head-to-head favoured United. Liverpool dominated all three games against their bitter North West rivals but won none of them, drawing twice in the Premier League and losing in dramatic fashion in their FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.

If ever a team's name has been on the cup, it was United's this term. Then there's the relentless criticism and dressing room snipes ag.