Patrice Evra gets what he wants
Manchester United played Liverpool at Old Trafford for the first leg of the 'Legends of the North' fixture in May and Patrice Evra started in that match alongside Gary Neville. Liverpool defeated United 3-1 and Evra was certainly not happy with that result.
The 'Legends of the North' matches have been organised to raise some much-needed money for the two clubs' respective foundations, but the competitive spirit inevitably remains in former professionals long after retirement and Evra arrived at the mixed zone after that defeat to embark on an extraordinary rant, in which he criticised his colleagues of yesteryear.
“I’m sorry for the fans,” Evra said. “I know it's a charity game, but there is a rivalry between the two clubs. There is no friendly match. Where are the English players? I live in Dubai. I came from there. When Man Utd call, you answer. I think more legends should be here."
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Evra's rallying call seemed to work as Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Roy Keane turned up for the second leg at Anfield on Saturday afternoon. Carrick and Fletcher impressed alongside Darron Gibson and they helped dictate the tempo.
They regularly worked the ball around Xabi Alonso and the Spaniard looked inferior. Carrick's role in Dimitar Berbatov's goal was exceptional and Fletcher remains in good physical condition, which is probably due to his 'unique' role as the club's technical director.
Fletcher warmed up the first team before matches last season and that is unusual for a technical director. United might have lost to Liverpool again this weekend, but the performance was a significant improvement on the first leg.
Michael Carrick and Xabi Alonso
Carrick wore the captain's armband at Anfield and he led by example on the pitch in the centre of midfield. He wasn't afraid of making a strong challenge and he got the better of his counterpart, Alonso, in their personal midfield battle between captains.
The vision from Carrick to find Danny Pugh, who created the chance for Berbatov's goal, was exceptional - he rolled back the years with a perfectly weighted crossfield ball - and it could be argued he actually deserved the assist, not Pugh.
Carrick departed from United in October and it only seems a matter of time before he turns his hand to management. Kieran McKenna was also part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's backroom staff and he's currently doing an excellent job managing Ipswich Town.
Dimitar Berbatov exceptional
Berbatov was special with a ball at his feet during his career and he still hasn't lost that silky touch - his command of a football is wonderful. He was the standout performer in the first leg at Old Trafford and he was brilliant again on Saturday.
The 41-year-old opened the scoring in the first half with a world-class strike and he nonchalantly celebrated in front of the Kop, which was trademark from the laidback Bulgarian. The goal was that good even Liverpool's fans would have appreciated it.
Berbatov will always stand out in such fixtures between club legends - he is still a classy operator.
Roy Keane's cameo
Roy Keane was a late, dramatic addition to the United squad and he happily played the role of pantomime villain from the bench in the second half. Keane was brought on with 15 minutes left in the match and a chorus of boos greeted him at Anfield.
Keane played with his shirt tucked in his shorts, as expected, and he smiled as he entered the pitch to the boos. Evra wanted United's legends to play in these games and there aren't many bigger names than Keane.
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