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• 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

A winner from Dirk Kuyt two minutes from time put Liverpool into the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of their fiercest rivals. Manchester United controlled midfield for most of the game and seemed to have done enough to take the game to a replay at Old Trafford that no one really wanted, but when Patrice Evra was caught out of position near the end the Liverpool substitute spared everyone another week of rehearsed hostility.

With all the pre-match debate focusing on Evra’s participation the Manchester United goalkeeping situation had been overlooked, but Sir Alex Ferguson sprang a surprise by choosing this high-profile encounter to reintroduce David de Gea to first-team duties. It was not a decision that paid off. Liverpool began to crowd the young goalkeeper out at corners and took the lead after 21 minutes when Steven Gerrard swung one over from the left and De Gea came for the ball but found himself blocked by Andy Carroll, leaving Daniel Agger an easy header.

United had begun the match looking the more threatening, with Antonio Valencia striking a post after a good run, though until the first goal there was little apart from the rivalry between fans to quicken the pulse and almost no chance of the occasion being remembered for the football, as had been the wish of both managers beforehand. Playing with only Carroll up front Liverpool rarely bothered De Gea apart from at set pieces, and though United also lacked their usual attacking edge in the absence of Wayne Rooney they managed to get back into the game with a well-worked goal before the interval. Valencia sent Rafael racing down the right with a back-heel flick, and though José Enrique was still favourite to reach the ball first the United full-back took on his opposite number and delivered a low cross, met perfectly at the near post by Park Ji-sung with a firm finish that surprised Pepe Reina.

Liverpool had an appeal for a penalty turned down at the start of the second half when Chris Smalling stumbled in the area and appeared to put his hand on the ball in falling, then a minute later a rare chance fell Danny Welbeck’s way and he failed to take advantage, pushing the ball past Reina towards an empty goal but not firmly enough to prevent Martin Skrtel arriving to tidy up behind his goalkeeper.

Charlie Adam came on for the last half-hour and immediately offered a more direct threat than Jamie Carragher had managed from defensive midfield, launching a high cross intended to test De Gea and presumably gaining encouragement when the goalkeeper fumbled it to concede another corner. When Gerrard tried the same tactic from a similar distance it was clear Liverpool had been instructed to play on De Gea, though the Liverpool captain left the field shortly afterwards, making way for Craig Bellamy.

Just when it looked as though the afternoon would end in a tame draw, Liverpool struck with two minutes of normal time remaining. Carroll beat Jonny Evans to get his head to a high ball, the knockdown fell ideally for Dirk Kuyt, and the Dutch substitute lost no time in burying a shot beyond the exposed De Gea. At least no blame attached to the goalkeeper for the winning goal, though he might have been embarrassed had Carroll added another before the end, instead of hitting the bar.

FA Cup 2011-12LiverpoolManchester UnitedFA CupPaul Wilson
guardian.co.uk