Sir Alex vents his anger at 'arrogant' Benitez

Published on Friday 17 April 2009 22:19

THE gloves have finally come off for Sir Alex Ferguson in his dispute with 'arrogant' Rafael Benitez.

Ever since the Liverpool manager's post-Christmas tirade at Ferguson, in which he listed a succession of "facts" that backed his belief the Scot was receiving favourable treatment from the Football Association, there has been a regular exchange of sniping between the pair.

Ferguson has insisted he did not want to get drawn into a full-scale argument, and last week questioned why Benitez was talking about him when he was preparing for a key Champions League encounter with Chelsea.

Yet there has been a sense that the growing irritation would eventually give way to public anger. And the trigger was Benitez's reaction to a second Liverpool goal against Sam Allardyce's Blackburn at Anfield last Saturday.

Ferguson felt Benitez's reaction, a wave of the arms to – according to Allardyce – signal the game was over, was unwarranted and unacceptable.

Coming on the back of Benitez's previous assertion that Everton, who face United in an FA Cup semi-final tomorrow were a "small club", Ferguson decided it was time to make a stand.

"Benitez said Everton are a small club, which just points to his arrogance," said Ferguson. "But it is one thing to show the arrogance he did. What you cannot forgive is the contempt for Sam Allardyce last week when Liverpool scored the second goal. I don't think Sam deserved that. He is a guy who has worked so hard for the LMA (League Managers' Association], looking after young players. He had a weakened team and to get that kind of contempt....I don't think any other Liverpool manager would have done that. It was beyond the pale."

Ferguson feels Benitez reacts badly when he does not get his own way – the attempt to sign Gabriel Heinze in 2007 a case in point. And the pressure is unlikely to get any less intense over the next few weeks as Liverpool chase their first championship since 1990.

Not that Ferguson will be spending much time thinking about that over the next 48 hours as he plots a way past Everton in the FA Cup semi-finals.

It could be a much-changed Red Devils line-up at Wembley, too, given the enormous effort in Porto on Wednesday, raising the possibility of Wayne Rooney not getting to face his former club, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick among those who could also miss out.

The changes should at least bring a freshness to United as they face Moyes' much-improved team, the work done on Merseyside by the Scot one of the reasons that Ferguson was annoyed at Benitez's dismissive comments.

Moyes, meanwhile, will send out a team aiming to reach their first final since 1995, when they beat United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

"I believe this club is very, very close to winning a trophy," said the Everton manager. "There has not been one since 1995, and the one before was eight years previous. You walk around the corridors of Goodison Park and you see the photos on the wall of the heroes from the past. I want to see my players' pictures on the walls now, as the heroes of the present. This club has been waiting a long time for this, something they were used to a few years ago. There are not many youngsters who support Everton who have seen their club in too many semi-finals.

"I wish it was the final, a semi-final like this at Wembley can make people think they have already arrived. That is one of the reasons I dislike these semi- finals being played there. We have got to keep remembering it is only a semi-final. I want everyone, the players and supporters to enjoy it but I want to be going back to Wembley in a month's time for the final itself. If we win this game it does not win you a trophy. It only gets you to the final and we must always remember that, we must win this one and then win the cup next month."

Moyes, who should have defender Joseph Yobo back from injury for the match, added: "I want to give these fans something to celebrate because they have always been very good to me over the seven years I have been here.

"We had a league cup semi-final last season and a decent run in the Uefa Cup. We are getting better as a cup side, not something we have been that good at in my time here. But Everton are going to win something soon, let's hope it is coming now."