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• Striker says he is happy at the club and on Merseyside
• Merseyside police detain man for alleged racist gesture

Andy Carroll has said he has no desire to leave Liverpool after the club tried to exchange him for Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez only a year after his £35m arrival from Newcastle United.

Carroll, who has scored only six times for Kenny Dalglish’s team since becoming Britain’s most expensive footballer 12 months ago, was also linked with a return to Newcastle United earlier in the transfer window. Having produced a battling display in Saturday’s FA

• Fan appears to make monkey signs
• Photograph is circulated on Twitter

Liverpool knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup but were put on the defensive when the question of racism again raised its head at Anfield. An image of a Liverpool fan appearing to make an offensive monkey gesture in the direction of Patrice Evra was circulated on Twitter, prompting Merseyside police to investigate.

Patrice Evra, who became embroiled in a row that led to Luis Suárez being found guilty of racially abusing the United defender in the 1-1 draw on 15 October, was booed loudly every time he touched the ball during the Cup tie, which Liverpool won 2–1.

“This matter is now under investigation by specialist hate crime detectives and we are working with Liverpool Football Club to identify the man in question,” said the match commander, Ch Supt Jon Ward, while Liverpool asked supporters who may be able to help to contact the club.

When Kenny Dalglish was asked what he thought of Evra’s every touch being booed, the Liverpool manager responded: “Are you winding me up?” He added: “Why would I be disappointed for Patrice Evra? I can’t believe you have asked that question before anything else. Have you ever played football? I used to get booed.

“The media has played its part this week in trying to maintain dignity and respect on the pitch and to concentrate on the game. The behaviour of both sets of players on the pitch was a credit to the game. There was banter between the two sets of fans but it was friendly. There may not have been a lot of respect, but both sets of supporters were brilliant. I don’t think there was anything there that was untoward.”

The Kop joined in several choruses of “There’s only one lying bastard”, putting into words what appeared to be the underlying theme of Liverpool’s defence of Suárez.

Queens Park Rangers players took a collective decision to back Anton Ferdinand by not shaking hands with their opponents before their Cup tie with Chelsea at Loftus Road, which they lost 1–0. However, the Football Association chose to discard the usual pre-match convention. The issue was a concern due to John Terry being accused of making a racially abusive slur at Ferdinand in October. Terry will answer the charge, which he denies, at West London magistrates’ court on

A split-second error causes Manchester United defender more angst than the Anfield boo-boys

For Patrice Evra, the most distressing part of the match had nothing to do with the incessant booing that followed him around the pitch or the chants reminding him that, as far as the Kop is concerned, he may as well take that report from the Football Association and drop it in the nearest wastepaper bin.

It was that moment when the volume had actually started to go down and it was beginning to feel as though Luis Suárez would be required to hold his nerve at Old Trafford twice in the space of three or four days in February.

It was only a passing heartbeat in which Evra found himself the wrong side of Dirk Kuyt, but it was vital. Kuyt buried his shot and, a few minutes later, the final whistle had gone and Manchester United’s forlorn No3 could be seen tossing his captain’s armband on to the pitch. Evra had not flinched during the barrage of insults that came in his direction but, as he made his way to the tunnel, his body language was of a man who knew the consequences of that split second.

“There’s only one lying bastard,” the Liverpool supporters had sung, loud and impassioned. United’s supporters responded with: “Always the victim, it’s never your fault.” The banner unfurled in the away end read: “MUFC defending titles, LFC defending racism.” Back and forth it went. Yet, overall, Evra’s ordeal centred on his mistake and this was not the day some had feared. Afterwards, Kenny Dalglish talked of the way the teams had “maintained dignity and respect and concentrated on the football”.

Only one player, Rafael da Silva, went into Mike Halsey’s notebook and it was hardly a foul laced with malice. Halsey had a fine afternoon when it comes to refereeing in a manner that takes into account how one poor decision could alter the mood. The players, as Dalglish pointed out, also deserve credit because