Dalglish: I’ll cope with the pressure
MANCHESTER UTD (1) vs LIVERPOOL (0)
LIVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish is confident he can restore the club to its rightful position amongst the Premier League elite, despite seeing his sensational comeback end in defeat at Old Trafford.
The 59-year-old Scot (right) took his place in the Reds’ dugout for the FA Cup third round reversal at Manchester United for the first time since quitting the club just shy of 20 years ago.
Ryan Giggs’ first minute penalty, awarded after Daniel Agger had needlessly made contact with Dimitar Berbatov, condemned Liverpool to defeat at the third round stage for the second year in a row.
But Dalglish, who will remain in the Anfield hotseat until the end of the campaign following Roy Hodgson’s sacking, believes he will be able to handle the weight of expectancy, despite nearly a decade out of the managerial game.
“I’ll deal with the pressure the same way everyone else deals with it,” he said. “You go about your job to the best of your ability and what happens happens.
“How do you know you can do anything unless you try it? I’ll give it everything I’ve got to put this club in a better position.
“For me [to come back] it was a no-brainer. Whatever other people think about it, they are entitled to their opinion, but I’m the one making the decision and I made the one which was best for myself and the club.”
It was an eventful, if not successful return for Dalglish, whose side failed to recover from the earliest of blows and who had to cope without Steven Gerrard for 58 minutes after the Liverpool captain was sent off by referee Howard Web for a dangerous tackle on Michael Carrick.
On the two key decisions, Dalglish added: “The penalty is a joke. I have seen the replay and unless they have changed the rules it is no penalty.
“The other one, I cannot see as a red card either.”
Babel apologises for Twitter rant at Webb
LIVERPOOL forward Ryan Babel has apologised for comments he made about referee Howard Webb in the aftermath of Liverpool’s FA Cup exit to Manchester United.
The Holland international used his Twitter account to post a mocked-up picture of Webb wearing a United shirt. The Football Association confirmed that they would be looking into the matter. Babel also wrote: “And they call him one of the best referees? That’s a joke.”
But Babel has since added: “My apology if they take my posted pic seriously. This is just reaction after losing an important game.”