Rafael Benitez declined to congratulate Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson for his side's title triumph as the pair's simmering feud continued.
Benitez had seen his side beat West Brom 2-0, and send the Baggies back to the Championship, but was twice given the opportunity at the post-match press conference to congratulate Ferguson on winning the title.
Each time he made it clear that he was only prepared to congratulate the Old Trafford club as a whole.
United won their 18th crown on Saturday, equalling Liverpool's record, and 24 hours later the Anfield men all but secured runners-up spot at The Hawthorns.
And not only did Benitez have to contend with questioning about his feelings towards Ferguson, he also had to comment on an amazing on-field bust up between Jamie Carragher and Alvaro Arbeloa.
The pair exchanged views and pushes until they were pulled apart by colleagues and then given a dressing down by referee Martin Atkinson before a hand-shake.
But it was Benitez's attitude to Ferguson that surprised many.
During the season Benitez and Ferguson have traded barbed comments at regular intervals.
And the Spaniard said: "I will say congratulations to Manchester United. They have done well, but I do not want to say too much.
"I prefer just to say well done to the club, a big club, a good club.
"Normally you have to be polite and respect the other manager. During the season we have seen a lot of things that I didn't like, so that's it.
"I say congratulations to United because they have won. And that's it."
Benitez then admitted that he did not like to see two of his own players behaving like Carragher and Arbeloa did.
He said: "The disagreement between my two players was because we wanted another clean sheet, we wanted 21.
"I don't like what I saw, but I am trying to see the positive side of things.
"We were looking to hit targets, a record points tally for the club of 83 and we achieved that. We wanted 13 away league wins which is also a record.
"And we wanted another clean sheet and runners-up position. You could see why Jamie Carragher was like he was with Alvaro Arbeloa.
"For me that is a positive message about the mentality of the team. We wanted to show character and a desire to win and be second, and stay as close as we could to Manchester United.
"Arbeloa was going forward and we had some problems in defence, so we wanted to protect Jose Reina better, he has 20 clean sheets and (Edwin) Van der Saar has 21. That was important."
Before the match Albion had suspended striker Roman Bednar after a newspaper alleged
the Czech international had bought illegal drugs.
Manager Tony Mowbray said: "What happened did not upset our preparation.
"I had a word with him before the match, but there will be no further comment until we have had the chance to investigate what has happened and find out all the facts.
"We will then take action when we have got to the bottom of it and discover the details."
Albion ended the day relegated from the top flight for the third time in seven seasons.
And Mowbray said: "Obviously I an so disappointed, particularly for the fans who have been magnificent all season.
"But the way we gave away that first goal, a big mistake to let Steven Gerrard in, just epitomises our whole season.
"I am frustrated. We had a lot of good attacking play but then gave the opposition a goal they did not have to work for. That's us.
"But we are now a better team than we have been for a lot of seasons, the team have grown into the Premier League and learned a lot of lessons along the way.
"Hopefully we can use those lessons next season in the Championship.
"We have gained a lot of experience over nine months and it has made them better players."
He added: "We have not won enough and we are where we are because the league table does not lie.
"Good players win you matches. That was evident today from Liverpool. I have got to continue building, keep going, improve it bit by bit.
"Good players are not easy to come by. We are in a market where we can only afford young players and inexperienced players. We just have to give them time to develop."
Your Comments
IvIark
"el_nino, I'd love to get into a discussion with you about it, but I just can't take someone seriously who chooses a username based on some homo-erotic hero worship. And I'm still too busy celebrating our resounding league victory, but maybe next time eh."
el_nino
"Ivlark ¿ please tell me that you are joking ¿ saying no class from Liverpool fans and then you come out with a comment like that? What an idiot!
Red_Drivel ¿ You lot have not knocked us off our perch, you are sitting on it beside us. And quite frankly I cannot wait to push you off it! I thought you didnt watch other teams matches by the way? How did you know what happened in the Liverpool v West Brom game so? I dont remember any Liverpool fan saying that we were going to win the league. We all just thought we had a chance in winning it. That is completely different. You are the arrogant ones who said all along yous were gonna win (granted yous did) but you all seem to think it is your god given right to win everything. I Hope Barca well and truly knock yous off your perch tomorrow week (to use your words). That would be brilliant!
For people who dont care what Benitez thinks you sure do have a lot to say about him! I love it! Bunch of hypocrites.
I dont see any United fans on here admitting that they were wrong when they said Liverpool wouldnt even get 2nd or 3rd in the league? Where have all you guys gone???
"
benmrules
"Rafamuggin - you talk about lack of class...i haven't seen any united players this season start fights with each other in the middle of the pitch. class of play - yes, United have been scrappy, but then, scrappy against the lower teams and we in. dire against the lower teams lost it for the scouse...again.
on a side note - anyone else watch the Hillsborough testimonial match the other day? methinks the scouse would stand a better chance winning the league playing the old fellas again - bit more class there i'd say.
RobMcC - Rafa didn't get personal, he just lost the plot. it's a sound tactic - get under the skin of the other manager. No, it's not the most sporting thing to do, but it's proven to work. Keegan would probably be the most prominent example, and now the fat Spaniard (and that's personal, btw) but it's down to the manager the dig is targetted at to respond in the correct way.
you talk about verbal diarrohea - he who believes Fergie picking on a gesture open to interpretation was premeditated, but a rant written down on paper before the press conference was not?
people talk about the absence of Fergie during interviews - when was the last time he gave an interview to the BBC anyway? and noone's mentioned that. personally, if i was as p'd off as he must have been i'd not have faced the cameras. Liverpool, contrary to the bewildering match reports by the scouse fans, did NOT play well in either match. the reason they won - we played worse. it happens. but look at the recent head to head record, and i don't think too much can be taken from doing the double over United. city did the double over us last season if i remember rightly (could have been the season before, can't remember cos it REALLY DIDN'T MATTER) and we still one the league.
RESPECTING THE REFEREE? LOOK AT YOUR OWN PLAYERS FIRST
"
power100
"Gulliver Liverpool have improved a lot this season and done well and if Rafa buys the right players then they could mount a serious title challenger next time round.
However it is laughable to say that Liverpool have been the best team this season, United have won the league because they have been the best. They have had some lucky wins, such as Villa, but it is important to not forget how many fortunate wins Liverpool had at the beginning of the season and the fact that so many teams had to play with ten men against them often in dubious circumstances. The luck and fortunate wins has roughly equalled out over the season and United are champions because they have killed off the weak teams so efficiently while Liverpool have often drawn these matches after dominating in them. "
neilfairy
"Rafa is a terrible loser in more ways than one.When will he wakes up and realises that Liverpool handed United the title, at one point Liverpool were clear at the top by 9 points. It is ok saying that liverpool can't compete with the likes of the other top teams in the transfer market,its not how much you pay, its the quality that you buy,he needs to stop his urge to buy every spanish player available and look further a field.
Its nice to think that I have the same amount of premiership winners medals as the likes of Gerrard and Torres"
bluefox
"ROBMC....sorry mate, I fear it's too late for most footballers on that score. I actually think Chelsea are the worst offenders, for John Terry read vile thug!!
Having played both (a long time ago admittedly) at a reasonable level it is an attitude that has always puzzled me. I have my theories (money etc) but now is not the time and place. That said my 7 year old son is learning not to arue with the back garen ref...me!!!
It seems to me both sets of fans are as bad as each other. Maybe you should all meet up in the playground after school??"
RobMcC
"Bluefox seeing as your a rugger bugger, any chance of teaching the Utd boys a bit about respecting the referee?"
MancManUMan
"where on earth are you from felderkirk? Colombia or Afghanistan?"
bluefox
"does anyone really give a sh1t? He congratulated the club. He and SAF do not see eye to eye, why should they? They are not trying to win friends, they want to win the PL. It's not belittling it's just the way it is, get over it.
I still think Utd will be hard to beat next year. So much squad strength will outlast a better first XI over 38 games.
Still it was a magnificent double....for Leicester. Division One and the Guinness Premiership. Watch out boys....we're coming!!
By the way...is FELDKIRK a retard? if so, is he marginally more intelligent than MancManUMan??"
gulliver
"Oh MancManUMan you card!! - I understood perfectly that you were looking for biters, hence the reason why I said 'ha ha ha' at the start of my comment. Your bait is so old hat and silly.
But on a more serious note I do find it amazing that considering Man Utd have actually won the league they still persist in being obssessed by Liverpool. I know there are genuine Man Utd supporters who are gracious in victory, but the majority of Johnny-come-lately supporters on this comment board are like tortured souls when the word Liverpool is mentioned, simply because they realise that they have won the title by default and, as London Mancs would say, "with a little bit of bloomin' luck." They know that Liverpool were the best team all season and it is tainting their fortunate title win.
Serious, proper Mancunian fans wouldn't even indulge in writing comments on this board, they would simply be happy and satisfied that they have won the league and leave it at that. Actually, scratch that, proper Mancunians would be supporting Man City."
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