Manchester United and Liverpool share one of the fiercest rivalries in world football. Even if two people are at odds, love is never lost.
Throughout his 26 years as United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed some epic battles with the Merseysiders, but he is not remembered fondly given the success he brought at Old Trafford. But there was a moment when Ferguson put the rivalry aside and came into his own.
It was back in the 1980s, when the Hillsborough disaster occurred during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Tragically, 96 Liverpool fans did not return from the cup match and another sustained life-changing injuries that will never recover.
It is regarded as one of the darkest days in English football, and in the Liverpool dugout on that day was Ferguson’s compatriot Kenny Dalglish. The Scotsman later revealed that it was Ferguson who first offered his support over the phone, and Dalglish has never forgotten his touching gesture.
In a 2012 Mirror column, Dalglish explained: “When the Hillsborough disaster happened in 1989, Sir Alex Ferguson called and offered to help in any way he could.
“People have different opinions about him. Some people love him, some hate him, but when something terrible like Hillsborough happens, Alex is one of the first people to ask what he can do. So there is a bitter rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool, but that doesn’t prevent Alex from offering to help, which is exactly what he did at the time.”
Ferguson not only faced Dalglish as a player, but also in the dugout. In any case, Mr Dalglish reiterated that he had never felt any animosity towards his countrymen.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sporting Giants podcast, Dalglish explained: “A lot of times it was psychological, throwing something up to end things. Sometimes I felt like I was getting carried away, and other times I wouldn’t give it back.”
“It wasn’t just against Fergie, it was the same with everyone at the time. He never came back with anything[to the media]and I regretted it. There was never any animosity between us. As soon as the game started, that was it. And we ended up having drinks.”
“There was always respect from my side, but when I beat him it must have been a huge satisfaction!”
