Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists he never seriously considered beating Liverpool's title record when he first arrived in 1986.
United will not knock Liverpool off their perch by getting the point against Arsenal on Saturday that would see them collect an 11th Premier League.
However, it will be enough to let them shuffle up alongside, knowing one more big shove could tumble Rafael Benitez's men off altogether.
"I never even thought about moving level with Liverpool," said Ferguson.
"My first intention was to win one and break the stranglehold Liverpool had on the title.
"You don't think about how it would open the door in terms of what we see now. The big challenge was that first one."