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• Dalglish, Moyes and Benítez among mourners
• 46-year-old died on New Year’s Day after cancer battle

Former team-mates and current professionals were among the mourners who attended the funeral of Gary Ablett on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old – the only player to win the FA Cup with both Liverpool and Everton – died on New Year’s Day after a 16-month battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The current Liverpool and Everton managers, Kenny Dalglish and David Moyes, were present at the city’s Anglican Cathedral along with many of Ablett’s team-mates – including John Barnes, Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson, Duncan Ferguson, Matt Jackson and David Unsworth – and other contemporaries from the 1980s and early 1990s.

The likes of Everton players Phil Neville and Tim Cahill were joined by the club’s former managers Joe Royle and Howard Kendall and also the former Liverpool boss Rafael Benítez.

Roy Keane, who briefly worked alongside Ablett at Ipswich Town just before his illness was diagnosed, was also present along with the England Under-21 manager, Stuart Pearce.

The coffin of Ablett was carried into church to You’ll Never Walk Alone and left to Everton’s anthem Z-Cars.

He leaves behind a wife, Jacqueline, and five children.

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guardian.co.uk

• Liverpool manager wades into debate on two-footed tackles
• ‘He hasn’t come in from behind so I don’t see the problem’

Kenny Dalglish has defended Glen Johnson’s challenge that led to a row between Steven Gerrard and Roberto Mancini at Manchester City and believes referees should be allowed the freedom to protect football as a contact sport.

The City manager and the Liverpool captain argued at the end of Wednesday’s Carling Cup semi-final first leg over Mancini’s insistence that Johnson’s two-footed challenge on Joleon Lescott was worse than Vincent Kompany’s tackle on Nani in the FA Cup defeat by Manchester United which left the City defender serving a four-match ban.

Dalglish insisted at the time that he had not seen the incident but, following a review, believes Johnson dived to intercept a pass to Lescott rather than challenge the England centre-half and has been wrongly dragged into the furore over two-footed tackles.

“Glen’s tackle is not a problem for us because there was no one directly in front of him. He hasn’t come in from behind, so I don’t see the problem,” the Liverpool manager said.

“There’s always an interpretation of what the tackle is but I would have thought that, if it’s a tackle, then there has got to be a challenge. If I’m sliding in to clear the ball and there’s no challenge, then it’s not a tackle, is it? If someone is straight in front of me and I’m sliding in, then that’s a tackle as someone is trying to challenge me. If you come in from behind and there’s someone between you and the ball, then it’s the same thing. But if there’s a clear pitch in front of you and you can reach the ball, then reach it. People say he was showing his studs but you always have to show studs when you slide in.”

Dalglish believes the controversy over the Kompany and Johnson challenges could have been avoided had referees been left the freedom to interpret the intent behind tackles rather than impose the letter of the law. “I hope tackling is not being outlawed because it’s necessary,” he added. “Obviously it’s a difficult thing as well to prove the intent of someone. In a lot of these tackles I don’t think there’s any intent to hurt anyone.

“It’s not gone 100% but the tackle which was a deliberate, over-the-top attempt to hurt someone is the one most people wanted outlawed. To be fair they have done a decent job with that, but they can’t go completely the other way and get rid of any contact and any tackles. At the same time you have to be mindful about how you tackle.

“Referees have to have an opinion as well. It keeps coming back to intent and it’s very difficult to prove someone’s intent. “Like wee Jay [Spearing], at Fulham. His only intent was to play the ball. He was totally focused on the ball but because he made contact with the player with his trailing leg he got a three-game ban. I think you get spats of things like this and then it phases away. I think this one will be phased out.”

Dalglish, meanwhile, has revealed Liverpool intend to offer an ambassadorial role to Jamie Carragher when his playing career at Anfield ends. Gerrard signed a contract extension on Thursday that included a position as club ambassador when his playing days are over and Carragher will be offered a similar post in recognition of his service and success at Liverpool. “If they want to stay here then we should do what we can to accommodate them,” said Dalglish. “They are fantastic assets to this football club and it is something we should develop.”

Kenny DalglishLiverpoolManchester CityPremier League 2011-12Premier LeagueGlen JohnsonAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk

• Manchester City manager and Liverpool captain argue
• Glen Johnson tackle on Joleon Lescott at issue

Manchester City’s second home defeat in four days ended in acrimony on Wednesday night as Steven Gerrard and Roberto Mancini argued in the tunnel. The Italian had asserted that Glen Johnson should have been sent off in the closing moments of the Carling Cup semi-final.

Gerrard, the Liverpool captain whose first-half penalty secured a 1-0 first-leg lead for Kenny Dalglish’s team, accused the City manager of double standards, for demanding a red card for Johnson having condemned Wayne Rooney for doing likewise before Vincent Kompany was sent off in the FA Cup defeat by Manchester United on Sunday.

Kompany’s absence was sorely felt by City as his replacement, Stefan Savic, conceded the decisive penalty with a foul on Daniel Agger. But it was Johnson’s late challenge on Joleon Lescott that provided controversy. The Liverpool defender won the ball with both feet off the floor, leaving the City manager aggrieved that the same letter-of-the-law interpretation that led Chris Foy to dismiss his captain on Sunday – and resulted in a four-game ban for Kompany – was not applied by Lee Mason.

Ironically Kompany, defending himself on Facebook before the game, had asked: “I wonder though if we are now going to see an unprecedented wave of red cards on match days because we sanction ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’?”

Gerrard denied Mancini’s complaints that Johnson’s tackle was more dangerous than the one committed on Nani by the City captain. “I don’t think so. It was a clear winner of the tackle,” said the Liverpool captain. “I’m surprised at Mancini. He had a go at Wayne Rooney last week for trying to get one of his players sent off. Now he’s trying to get one of our players in trouble. I don’t think that’s right.”

Gerrard aired his view directly to Mancini, who said: “It was worse, this tackle was worse. Johnson’s tackle was worse than the one Vinny did against United. Everyone can see this. It was worse. Gerrard came to me and said, ‘You said this.’ Gerrard can say what he wants. No problem. The world is going down because people do not apologise. I make a mistake and I apologise. I say what I think and it is not important what Steven Gerrard and other players say.”

City, having gone unbeaten at home in 2011, have lost twice in cup competitions in four days, with Liverpool becoming the first away team to keep a clean sheet here this season. Dalglish, who said he did not see Johnson’s challenge, said: “We gave two different performances in each half. In the first half we looked a lot more threatening but in the second, after getting the goal advantage, we just battened down the hatches. Not too many teams have come here and not had goals against them, so it’s a fantastic effort by us.

“It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but it didn’t fall short in terms of desire or commitment in any shape or form. Once we got ourselves in front, we were determined not to lose it. We might have a slight advantage with the goal, but there will be nobody jumping through hoops at our place. We’ll just be as professional as we can at our place.”

Mancini bemoaned a lack of cutting edge from a City team who missed the injured David Silva and saw Mario Balotelli limp off with a suspected ankle injury after 39 minutes. The City manager said: “The first half we didn’t play well. After six months that can happen. But in the second half Liverpool did not pass the middle of the pitch. We had chances but didn’t score but we knew before the game it would be difficult.

“It is difficult because we were without three or four players. The result is not right. For me it was a draw. We played two difficult games. I knew that was going to happen. January is going to be an important month but I think in both games we didn’t deserve to lose. The second leg is going to be difficult. Liverpool are favourites because they won 1-0 away.”

Gerrard echoed Dalglish’s view that the semi-final was finely poised for the second leg, at Anfield on 25 January.

“It is good to be back. I feel like a footballer again,” said Gerrard of his second successive start. “It’s games like this I have missed and games like this I have worked to get back so hard for. We defended well from back to front. We were playing one of the big powers in world football. There is no way this game is over yet and it is set up nicely for the game at Anfield.”

Carling Cup 2011-12LiverpoolManchester CitySteven GerrardRoberto ManciniCarling CupAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk