TERRACE TALK: Liverpool - Nasty end proves Man United can’t even win gracefully

Why is anyone surprised? Actually, is anybody surprised anymore?

This is the way it was, is and probably always will be. Whatever pact they made with the devil seems signed for eternity. Even the healthiest trophy haul of the 70s and 80s sometimes feels like the ultimate set-up.

Mental images of Martin Atkinson’s dismemberment can only dull the pain for so long. After a first half of limp-wristed ineptitude Liverpool couldn’t have complained if the score was beyond them and the referee’s interventions weren’t needed.