Kenny Dalglish begins his second coming at Liverpool with a rant
• The penalty was a joke, says Liverpool's caretaker manager
• Gerrard dismissed – 'I can't see that as a red card either'
There was no triumphant return as Liverpool manager for Kenny Dalglish today, only the familiarity of a dispute with Mr. Ferguson as he condemned the decisions that gave Manchester United victory in the third round of the FA Cup.
Dalglish's first game as Liverpool manager for almost 20 years ended in controversial defeat after the referee, Howard Webb, awarded a first-minute penalty that enabled Ryan Giggs to decide the contest and dismissed Steven Gerrard in the 32nd minute for a two-footed tackle on Michael Carrick.
Ferguson, who greeted his fellow Scot and former adversary with "welcome back" in the tunnel before kick‑off, claimed the World Cup final referee called both major decisions correctly. Dalglish, almost inevitably, thought otherwise. "The penalty was a joke," said Dalglish, who accepted John W Henry's invitation to replace Roy Hodgson while on a cruise and denied his iconic Liverpool status will be at risk over the next five months.
"I've seen the replay and unless they have changed the rules it is not a penalty. The other one, I can't see that as a red card either. In the dressing room before the game someone said to me the game hasn't changed that much and I said I thought it had become a non-contact sport. Maybe I was right."
United were the dominant side throughout but reliant on Daniel Agger's slight trip on Dimitar Berbatov for the penalty that secured a fourth-round tie away to Southampton. "Of course it was a penalty," the Bulgarian striker said. "There was enough contact for me to lose my balance and people know I do not go to ground easily."
The start to Dalglish's second coming as Liverpool manager deteriorated further when Gerrard caught Carrick with both feet off the floor. The Liverpool captain will now miss the trip to Blackpool on Wednesday, the Merseyside derby with Everton on Sunday and the game at Wolverhampton Wanderers as a result of a three-match ban.
"I don't think there was any doubt. I think it was two-footed. He was off the ground too," said Ferguson. "It was a reckless challenge. Steven Gerrard is not that type of player really but I don't think he left the referee with any option. I thought it was a penalty too. The replay shows he slightly touched him but the momentum is enough to bring the player down."
The United manager said he was "amazed" the game ended 1-0 but credited 10-man Liverpool with a resilience that was absent in Hodgson's final game in charge at Blackburn Rovers, and gave Dalglish confidence that he can revive the club's sorry campaign.
Dalglish said: "If we can get everyone pulling in the same direction – players, staff, owners and supporters – we are going to have a good chance of improving things going forward." He denied making any additions to his backroom staff but is expected to install the former Chelsea and West Ham United No2 Steve Clarke as his assistant.
"I don't think any of the players could be faulted for effort and commitment. Yes, we might pass and finish a bit better but it is a difficult place to come and win a game. To lose a penalty in the first minute and get a guy sent off in the first half was always going to make it difficult for us."
Dalglish was tempted, he said, "to do a Mourinho or Gary Neville and run down to that corner" when he faced Liverpool supporters for the first time as their manager since a 4-4 FA Cup replay draw against Everton in February 1991.
He also countered suggestions that, 10 years after his last managerial experience at Celtic, he had been out of the game too long and was placing his reputation at risk at Liverpool by attempting to correct their recent decline.
"How do you know you have anything unless you try?" he said. "I will give everything I have got to put the club in a better position than it is now. Whether that's going to be sufficient for everyone, I don't know. I can't see into the future. I can only promise 100% commitment. That is the way to look at it. For me, it was a no-brainer. Whatever other people think, they are perfectly entitled. I made the decision and I made the one I think was best for myself and the football club.
"I was on a boat and I was happy when I got a phone call from John Henry to say he had spoken to Roy and would I like to come and look after the team until the end of the season.
"I would not have insulted the club by saying no. I have to say the cruise people were fantastic. They got us off at Bahrain and got us on to a plane and I was home last night."
Reports tonight claimed that 15 arrests were made inside Old Trafford for public order offences and criminal damage.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jan/09/kenny-dalglish-liverpool-manchester-united