Fergie says it best when he says nothing at all
Yet keeping their counsel afterwards was probably one of the only things United did right all day.
Having seen the damage inflicted on Nani’s leg by Jamie Carragher’s studs — an ugly gaping gash an inch wide well above the top of his shin-pad — it is unlikely Ferguson would have been able to restrain himself from further improper remarks.
The score was already 2-0 by the time Carragher took Nani out but had he received the red card he deserved, there would have been ample time for United to make the extra man count.
Rafael should also have been sent off for a wild two-footed lunge at Lucas, but he had been goaded into it first by Dowd’s failure to send off Carragher, and then by the studs of Maxi, which referee Phil Dowd missed entirely.
Not that Rafael needs much goading — the reliable fury with which he responds to any provocation is an obvious weak link in United’s defence. In this case, it was plain that Dowd decided that having allowed Carragher to stay on the pitch, he could not risk sending Rafael off.
Ferguson is often credited with cleverness in his use of the media to put public pressure on referees, but his crude attack on Martin Atkinson seemed to well up from the depths: such was the anger he felt, he could not help himself. It would have been one thing to complain about specific instances where he felt mistakes had been made, but the suggestion that Atkinson was not “a fair referee” was merely clumsy and self-defeating.
After enduring Dowd’s mistakes, three Dirk Kuyt goals and a lusty Kop rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” directed at the beaming Kenny Dalglish, Ferguson may have decided that if he couldn’t say something nice, he was better off not saying anything at all.
Dalglish’s policy is never to say anything in interviews regardless of his mood (asked whether Carragher was fortunate to stay on the pitch, he responded: “He was fortunate to be playing for Liverpool today”) and the questions about whether he will be permanent manager seem to have been answered by his team.
Yesterday was also a good day for Liverpool’s transfer market impresario Damien Comolli. The outstanding performance of Luis Suarez means the £20m Comolli persuaded them to spend on the Uruguayan is already looking a shrewd deal.
Whatever doubts existed about Suarez did not centre around his talent, which had been amply demonstrated in the colours of Ajax and Uruguay. The question was whether he would settle at what had been a dysfunctional team in a faster, more physical league.
Steve McManaman was the last player to wear the number 7 with any distinction for Liverpool; since then Robbie Keane, Harry Kewell and Vladimir Smicer have all been crushed by weight of expectation.
Unlike that trio, Suarez scored within a few minutes of making his debut at Anfield and the way he took the fight to United yesterday showed why Ajax managing director Rick van den Boog was as keen to praise his leadership as his finishing.
We knew from the World Cup that Suarez refuses to be bound by convention. At one point he stood facing a direct free kick with his hands clasped behind his back rather than protecting his groin, perhaps because he couldn’t trust himself not to attempt a save.
His demeanour mixes pugnacity with slyness. In the first half he was lucky to escape a booking after flinging abuse at a linesman over a minor decision against him. He then exploited the chaos following Rafael’s two-footed tackle on Lucas by sneaking up behind United’s angry young man to pull his curly hair in an apparent attempt to provoke further outrages.
Plainly here is a man who is destined to be loathed by opposing fans as he is loved by his home crowd. If Andy Carroll has the same impact, Liverpool can force their way back into the Champions League spots next season.
Meanwhile United have now lost three out of five Premier League matches for the first time in almost seven years. Were it not for the ineptitude of Arsenal, United would have lost control of the lead.
Right now the bookies have them as favourites to win back the title but Arsenal are playing better football. United need big players to step up, but with Nani set to miss a couple of games and Scholes looking tired, who is going to make the difference?
Without runners like Fletcher and Park to provide physical drive and energy, Michael Carrick’s passing game goes nowhere. Ferguson now knows a dynamic midfield player is a priority in the summer, along with a replacement for Van der Sar.
The more immediate question is how to restore United’s lost momentum in the nine league games remaining. It could be that the league’s top scorer Dimitar Berbatov will be the fall guy as Ferguson rejigs the side to arrest the slump.
Wayne Rooney had another poor game yesterday, yet his tally of 18 goals and assists is bettered by only a handful of players in the league and there have been signs in recent weeks that he is rediscovering his mojo. A strike partnership of Rooney and the razor-sharp Chicharito, who has scored an incredible 10 league goals from just 14 shots on target, looks like United’s best hope of sparking their way back into some form.
