There is not a great deal going on in the world of football at the moment, with all of Europe’s major leagues suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
So why not take a look back at one an understated Rafael Benitez moment that left Sir Alex Ferguson fuming in 2009, as per the Liverpool Echo.
The former Manchester United manager was left irate after the Spaniard made a gesture as the Reds were thrashing Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.
Fernando Torres found the net via a Xabi Alonso free kick on the way to a 4-0 victory, and Rafa simply shrugged with a smirk on his face.
It wasn’t anything to be discussed at the time, with Liverpool picking up some pace in the title race, but it was later scrutinised by Fergie.
“There’s one thing with [Benitez]’s arrogance that you can’t forgive and that is his contempt for Sam Allardyce last week,” he was quoted by the Echo as saying.
“Did you see it? Absolute contempt! He went like that (crossing his arms back and forth) as if to say: ‘Game finished!’
“I don’t think Sam deserved that. A guy who has worked so hard for the League Managers Association, looking after young managers and players, he didn’t deserve that.”
“I don’t think any other Liverpool manager in the past would ever have done that,” Ferguson would add. “But he is beyond the pale.”
This is a hilarious overreaction, sure, and it shows just how much the Reds were able to get the United great’s skin. The Scot hated us with a passion, and this instance from over ten years ago is a prime example of it.
Fast-forward to the current day and all of Fergie’s hard work may not have been enough to keep us ‘off our perch’ for as long as he’d have liked!