Sir Alex Ferguson refused to say ‘hi’ to Man Utd players if they lost to Liverpool
Sir Alex Ferguson knew that Manchester United vs Liverpool meant more than any other fixture during his time at Old Trafford – and would punish his players had they slipped to defeat.
The legendary Scot won 30 of his clashes against the Anfield side from 65 attempts, losing 21 and drawing the other 14 in a closer record than some might expect.
Before Erik ten Hag’s men claimed an unlikely 2-1 victory over Jurgen Klopp’s side this week – Patrice Evra explained how Ferguson would react to those losses.
READ MORE: Roy Keane and Jurgen Klopp clash again with fans in stitches over ‘sloppy’ jibe
Speaking to Betfair, Evra said: “Winning this game is the best feeling when you’re a United player, and losing is the worst feeling.
“For two weeks Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn’t even say ‘hi’ to us or shake our hands if we lost to Liverpool.
“I always say, if we won against Chelsea that meant we would win the league and it was a big statement. If we won against Arsenal, no disrespect but it was like winning against our babies. If we won against Man City, it was winning against our noisy neighbours. If you win against Liverpool it was about history.
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(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: Getty Images)
“It’s the biggest rivalry for the fans and you could see during the week how the players were training, it was absolutely different, the tension.
“Normally Sir Alex wouldn’t watch every training session but he would be there for every minute and he would pick players based on if they could handle it.
“I remember I had a bad first six months, but I played well against Liverpool and we won the game. After that people were like ‘Oh my God, the way Evra tackled Gerrard, this is amazing.’
(Image: Getty Images)
“This game can bring you a lot of confidence and you can make peace with the fans. This is a good opportunity for United’s players to stop the storm.”
Ten Hag’s men climbed off the foot of the table with their win over Liverpool at Old Trafford – with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford finding the net.
The victory puts the Red Devils above Klopp’s men after three fixtures, with trips to Southampton and Leicester up next.
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