JUST AS A LEOPARD CANNOT CHANGE its spots, it was always faintly preposterous for Neil Warnock to believe that he might be able to alter his ways simply by wearing an expensive new suit.
Biting his tongue is one thing — and, for all that he may have complained on Saturday afternoon, he felt that he was restrained under the circumstances — but, if the Sheffield United manager is to be considered a breath of fresh air on his return to the big time, there are certain to be some who mistake it for halitosis.
Call it starting as you mean to go on. United certainly did that on Saturday, taking a well- deserved point against a Liverpool team who stumbled on their way out of the blocks, but Warnock’s post-match performance mirrored that of his team over the previous 90 minutes. He put the boot in, gave as good as he got, rattled a few cages and then, having surprised everyone by making his point eloquently without risking a fine, he finished on a familiar note by opening a can of worms.
Specifically, Warnock claimed that Robbie Fowler, the Liverpool forward, had told him that the penalty with which he equalised should not have been given. It was a view with which few would disagree, after Rob Styles, the referee, penalised Chris Morgan for the perceived “intent to trip” Steven Gerrard, but it was an allegation that met with angry denials from the visiting team’s contingent. Warnock backtracked — “it might not have been him but it was someone in a yellow shirt,” he said — but nothing like far enough for Liverpool’s liking.
That is the thing with Warnock. Even at his most diplomatic, he cannot help stirring up controversy, which is why his request for the media not to dwell on the penalty incident, having done so at such length himself, was always going to be difficult to respect. “Ninety-five per cent of the people who watch that incident will know it’s not a penalty,” he said. “There’s no contact whatsoever. I’m trying to be constructive, but I’m furious underneath.”
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A draw, though, was a fair result. United surpassed themselves with a display that should go some way towards dispelling the myth that Warnock is the same long-ball merchant that brought Notts County into the top flight 15 years ago. His team were good value for their lead when Rob Hulse, the bustling No 9 who was inexplicably left unmarked, headed home David Unsworth’s free kick 52 seconds into the second half. But thereafter a Liverpool equaliser seemed inevitable as Sami Hyypia struck a post with a header before Fowler restored parity from the penalty spot in the 70th minute.
Liverpool had enough possession and chances to win convincingly, but a lack of sharpness cost them. So, too, did ankle injuries to Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise, who will not play against Maccabi Haifa in the second leg of Liverpool’s Champions League third qualifying round tie in Kiev tomorrow evening after being ruled out for two weeks.
If their 2-1 first-leg lead did not already look fragile, it looks the more so, given the possibility that three of their first-choice back four will be missing, although Steve Finnan hopes to recover from a thigh problem.
Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, said that his team selection had been swayed by the midweek international fixtures as much as by tomorrow’s engagement, but the performance that ensued suggested that the strength of his squad might have been overestimated. In the absence of Finnan, Xabi Alonso and Peter Crouch, there was a lack of assertiveness in the team, Gerrard apart, and this was compounded when Carragher and Riise departed with injury.
Two points dropped, then, for Liverpool, with Benítez having to take early solace in the old Anfield maxim about the title race being “a marathon, not a sprint”, but a significant point made by United and their manager, of whom you have not heard the last.
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HOW WILL THEY DO?
Much of Neil Warnock’s reputation is based on fact, but his team play decent football and on this evidence they may be good enough to stay up. As for Liverpool, the optimism that greeted six summer signings looks premature. They showed character to fight back, but overall a disappointing start and cause for concern