Ugly behaviour must end

Alex Ferguson expects Manchester United’s visit to Liverpool later this month to pass off without incident as he called for an end to the hostile rivalry between the two clubs.

Supporters have often wasted no effort in trying to goad their opponents with vile chants about Hillsborough and Munich, paying scant respect to the 96 Liverpool fans who died in Sheffield or the 21 who were killed coming back from a European Cup tie in Belgrade 31 years earlier.

However, in the wake of this week’s Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report which cleared Liverpool supporters of any blame in the 1989 tragedy, a chance exists for some of the edges to be taken off the rivalry.

Ferguson certainly hopes so and, with the eyes of the football world on them Sunday week, the Scot feels tempers will remain in check.

“There is such a focus on it at the moment that fans will be on their best behaviour,” he said.

“It is a moment for those two great clubs to show why they are great clubs and I don’t anticipate any problems.

“Both clubs have suffered fatalities through football and the fact we are playing them after the findings we have been reading about over the last couple of days does bring a focus to it.

“You would hope that maybe this is a line in the sand in terms of how the supporters behave with one another.”