Few games evoke a more visceral reaction than Liverpool vs. Man United. A fixture dating back more than 120 years, it’s a tried and tested recipe for creating endemic levels of anger, vitriol, bad losers and even worse winners. It’s why this Sunday’s BPL clash between the two kicks off at 1:30pm GMT, so everybody doesn’t have too much time to get overly beered-up (though, by God, they’ll try).
So The18 thought this the perfect opportunity to roll out our Top Five Most Hated Players in the history of Liverpool vs. Man United. In no particular order of loathsomeness:
Luis Suarez
It’s not exactly a surprise to find the Luis Suarez on this list: the red half of Liverpool aside, he’s pretty much universally despised by the whole of England, Italy, Ghana and large swathes of The Netherlands. And while any talismanic player for Liverpool is likely to attract the dislike of the Old Trafford faithful, it’s Suarez’s spat with Patrice Evra that ensures he holds a particularly dark place in United fans’ hearts. The Uruguayan was banned for 8 matches during the 2011-12 season having been found guilty of racially abusing Evra. To make matters worse, he then snubbed the Frenchman during the return fixture's pre-match handshakes.
Reacting in a completely calm and measured manner wholly devoid of hyperbole, Ferguson declared Suarez “a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club” who “should never be allowed to play again.”
Alan Smith
Alan Smith doubled down on his loathing by playing for not one but two of Liverpool’s most bitter rivals: a product of Leeds United’s youth system, Smith signed for United in 2004 following his boyhood club’s relegation from the Premier League.
The nadir of Smith’s hatred came during a 5th-round FA Cup tie at Anfield in 2006, when the Englishman broke his leg and dislocated his ankle in a freakish incident. As he was being taken from the ground to a nearby hospital, his ambulance was set upon by a group of Liverpool supporters, who began throwing stones and rocking the vehicle from side to side.
That particular fixture also witnessed the time-honored tradition of chucking human excrement at one another.
Patrice Evra
It’s fair to say that Patrice Evra is pretty objectionable regardless of which team you support. He’s coordinated World Cup strikes, fought with groundsmen and generally done his level best to niggle, irk and irritate everyone he's comes across. While The18 isn’t about to condone the many ill-considered actions of Luis Suarez, it’s fair to say Evra didn’t exactly go out of his way to calm the situation, from the handshake-that-never-was to this muted, sensibly under-stated and mature celebration:
You can hear what Liverpool fans think of Patrice right here, but in summary: "he's a f*cking liar, and that's why we f*cking hate him."
Catchy.
Michael Owen
England’s Michael Owen scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool, bursting onto the scene as a fresh-faced 17-year-old in 1997-98. He fired The Reds to a treble (of sorts) in 2000-01, and another League Cup title the year after.
You’d think that such a scoring record would make Owen a Liverpool legend, but it’s Kopites’ ire that he most attracts. Owen left Liverpool for Real Madrid in 2004, missing that night in Istanbul before returning to the Premier League just a year later, first with Newcastle and then - shock horror - Manchester United. While they booed him on his return to Anfield with The Magpies, they went positively ape-sh*t when he rocked up in a United shirt. Hell, he was even booed during a testimonial for Jamie Carragher.
Gary Neville
Few players are more dyed-in-the-wool Manchester United than Gary Neville, who compensated for what he lacked in talent with unbridled commitment, dedication and sheer bloody-mindedness.
Unsurprisingly, that combination made him the ideal candidate to get yard-deep under Kopites’ skin, rolling out measured quotes such as “I can’t stand Liverpool, I can’t stand the people, I can’t stand anything to do with them” or charging half the field - at Old Trafford - to celebrate a late winner directly in front of the traveling Liverpool supporters.
Which is why they’ve dedicated him delightful ditties such as this:
