Roy Keane Wouldn't Watch Liverpool If They 'Were Playing out in My Back Garden'

Roy Keane has put the boot into Liverpool, claiming he wouldn't watch them even if they "were playing out in my back garden." 

The Manchester United legend's comments came after their 3-0 win over Maribor in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, per ITV Football:

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"If Liverpool were playing in my back garden I wouldn't watch them." says Keane#LFC pic.twitter.com/QOWhKycnjh

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 2, 2017"

Second-half goals from Mo Salah, Emre Can and Daniel Sturridge handed the Reds their second successive 3-0 home victory after doing the same against Huddersfield Town. As against the Terriers, Liverpool struggled to break their opponents down in a flat first 45 minutes.

The three points keeps Liverpool top of Group E, and they have a good chance of remaining there, but barring a kind draw it's difficult to envision them progressing far in the knockout stages, and in the Premier League they're embroiled in a battle to finish in the top four rather than for the title.

The Reds are 12 points behind Manchester City, and it's of little surprise given the gulf in class between the two sides.

City have made an electric start to the campaign, per the Premier League:

Keane was complimentary about them after they beat Napoli 4-2, an impressive feat considering the Partenopei's Serie A form has rivalled City's. Per Goal, he told ITV:

"They're playing well. We obviously know trophies aren't given out at this time of year but, my goodness, they are playing some outstanding stuff. They have momentum behind them.

"You just expect City to score three or four goals every game, and they did it again tonight. Outstanding, and if they can keep that going they'll take some stopping."

Nevertheless, the former United man believes the Sky Blues should not get ahead of themselves:

Indeed, City were top of the table for the first 10 games last season after starting the campaign with six wins in a row but ultimately finished third as they failed to sustain that form.

Given their current run and the state of many of their rivals, it would take a significant turnaround for them to fall short this time, but complacency could potentially be disastrous.

Keane also took aim at United boss Jose Mourinho:

The Special One hit out at his critics after guiding the Red Devils to a 2-0 defeat over Benfica on Tuesday:

He has also aimed barbs at some sections of the Old Trafford faithful, whom he believes are not showing the team enough support, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

Such comments are par for the course for Mourinho, though, who typically appears to thrive on conflict and his ability to create a siege mentality among his players.

United have plenty of room to improve—they lack creativity and drive in midfield without Paul Pogba and  Mourinho's timid approach against Liverpool in October remains a misstep—but they're hardly doing badly either.

They're on the verge of topping Group A, and while they're five points behind City, they're the closest to them in the league, with Tottenham Hotspur eight points back in third.

Given the circumstances some more positivity around Old Trafford would not go amiss, but United soon face Mourinho's former club Chelsea and Newcastle United—managed by long-term rival Rafa Benitez—so we're likely to hear plenty more out of the manager in the coming weeks.