Only race we’re interested in is for title – Evans

Just when it was hard to believe Luis Suarez and Liverpool Football Club could handle the fallout from last October’s race controversy any more badly, along came the battle of Old Trafford.

Even for a fixture that has become a by-word for hostility, aggression, bile and — it has to be said — pure drama and football excellence in recent years, this was an explosive occasion from the moment, in the pre-match handshake line, that Suarez snubbed Patrice Evra, the man he was found guilty of racially abusing four months ago.

Thereafter, as police and stewards moved to disperse confrontations between rival players in the tunnel at half-time and at the final whistle — two flashpoints from which Evra did not emerge with any credit — the football was always going to be secondary.

The fact that United moved one point clear at the top of the Premier League, for 24 hours at least, while further denting Liverpool’s hopes of a top four finish and a place in next season’s Champions League, was almost incidental.

What was left, instead, was a sense of disbelief that the Suarez-Evra affair could have reached such new depths and a club as great and important as Liverpool could have seen its reputation damaged to such a degree.

It was a sense of disbelief and confusion that was even shared by United players, such as Northern Ireland international defender Jonny Evans.

“I actually didn’t know he had refused the handshake because I was a bit further down the line. I didn’t know what had gone on,” said Evans. “But I heard a bit of crowd reaction.

“There was a bit of commotion in the tunnel [at half-time] but the referee came in and told us to keep our heads and I think, in the whole, the game was played in good spirits by both sets of players. There was a bit of animosity created over the handshake. Other players noticed it.

“We had been talking about it in the changing room and whether he would shake his hand. I said to him [Evra] myself — and a few other players said — just shake his hand because you have nothing to be ashamed of or hide.

“I said, ‘I think if you offer a handshake then you will come out with a lot of respect’. It is disappointing he [Suarez] didn’t shake his hand because Patrice was the one who has been racially abused. We don’t want to see that in football.

“I think it could have ended there and then with a handshake. If a few of the lads could have got together and said things have gone on and let’s just now forget about it. Usually that’s what happens in football, although perhaps the racist thing took it too far, but in the past what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch and usually the players forget about it.”

As he has throughout so much of the Suarez affair, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish hardly emerged covered in glory, or helped diffuse the situation.

In an interview with Sky TV, for example, he denied having seen his player’s handshake snub then told the interviewer he was “out of order” for suggesting Suarez’s action might have enflamed the situation.

Alex Ferguson was far more reasoned, although his anger was obvious when he declared that Suarez should not be permitted to play for Liverpool again. The United manager agreed that Evra should not have celebrated as wildly as he did on the final whistle, the Frenchman’s antics taking him into the path of Suarez and other Liverpool players, leading to the possibility of more physical violence between the rivals.

“Patrice was enjoying the victory and rightly so because he has been through a lot,” added Evans. “Maybe he shouldn’t have gone to the supporters in front of Suarez but that was his way of showing he was happy we got three points.

“Patrice is a great lad. Everybody loves him. He gets on with everyone and everyone loves him. I don’t think it was a case of doing it [winning] for Patrice it was doing it for Patrice for what the whole club has been through and especially because of the rivalry and of course, we wanted to be top of the league. We are trying to win titles and that is more at the forefront of our mind than just doing it for Patrice.”

The better football in what, beneath the controversy, was a decent game came from United, who scored twice inside the opening four minutes of the second half through two clinical Wayne Rooney finishes. Suarez — inevitably — scored a consolation 10 minutes from time to give United an anxious conclusion to the game.

However, when the dust has settled on Saturday’s affair, the more significant aspect to emerge from it may prove to be the fact that United are making such a concerted effort to distance Manchester City and keep hold of their crown.

“It was a massive win,” confirmed Evans. “I think you could tell by the reactions and the celebrations at the end. I know there was a bit more to it than just winning a football match. You look back at the history between the two teams and the rivalry and it meant a lot to the supporters and the players.

“People have been saying we haven’t played good football but I think we are playing the way United played a few years ago, in that if you score a couple we will score more.

“I think it is City and us all the way. Tottenham have dropped some points over the last few weeks. They will still have a big say. Us and City is going to be tight. Every game will be like a cup final.

“That is the position we like to be in, when the manager is giving team talks you can see he relishes that. A lot of people forget about history and the fact that United under Sir Alex Ferguson are great finishers towards the end of the season. We have been great at that and you have to give the manager credit for his motivation.”