Rio Ferdinand has recounted a memory of how former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres let his foot ‘pouring with blood’ after a game at Anfield.
The player turned pundit was reviewing Liverpool’s 4-0 dismantling of Manchester United last night via his Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel.
Expressing his disgust at his old club’s performance, Ferdinand spoke about some of his own memories of visiting Anfield as an opposition player.
“They were never easy games. Never, ever, ever, ever an easy game, always tough games,” he said.
The Reds were a few levels below United at the time. Now that the tables have turned, Ferdinand doesn’t see the same fight from United that he used to see in Liverpool.
“They (Liverpool) didn’t lack heart, they didn’t lack belief, they didn’t lack desire, didn’t lack the reaction of if they went a goal down, they’d fight. We never went to Liverpool and had an easy game and walked off and went you know what, cigar. Never, never! Because they made us work for it, minimum.”
Torres the tormentor
Ferdinand and Torres had some spectacular battles during the Spain striker’s 3-and-a-half year spell at Anfield. Judging by his comments here, those battles could be particularly physical affairs.
“The balls at the other end and you’ve got Torres stamping on your foot, having to have stitches at half-time because your foot’s pouring with blood, said Ferdinand. “Because they’re doing anything and everything to get an inch.”
Torres had a decent record against United, scoring three times in seven games against Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. Those three goals came in consecutive Premier League games across 2009 and 2010.
Backing Ferdinand’s point up, Liverpool won two of those games, one by a 4-1 score-line, and lost the other 2-1.
United were the dominate force in English football for so much of the late 20th and early 21st century. Liverpool couldn’t get near them for a lot of that time. But The Reds never capitulated against them in the manner Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick’s teams did this season.
Liverpool’s old foes may well be back to the top in the coming years. However the season ends up though, Reds fans will never forgot the aggregate 9-0 score-line of 2021/22.
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