Man Utd Boss: Suarez' Evra Snub 'A Disgrace'

Sir Alex Ferguson has branded Liverpool's Luis Suarez "a disgrace" for snubbing the offer of a handshake from Manchester United's Patrice Evra as the pair came face-to-face for the first time since becoming embroiled in a race row.

But rival manager Kenny Dalglish said after the match it was "bang out of order" to blame his striker for "anything that happened here today".

Suarez received an eight-match ban for racially abusing the Frenchman at a match in Anfield in October.

Ahead of the game at Old Trafford, defender Evra offered his hand as the two teams shared pre-match handshakes, but he was ignored by the striker.

The snub appeared to anger Evra, who grabbed the Liverpool player's arm and was quickly brushed off.

Uruguayan Suarez was then blanked by United's Rio Ferdinand, who refused to shake his hand.

The match ended in a 2-1 defeat for Liverpool, with Evra having the last laugh as he celebrated on the pitch in front of Suarez.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex said in a post-match interview that the snub "could have caused a riot".

"Patrice... we had a chat this morning," he said. "He says 'I'm going to shake his hand. I've nothing to be ashamed of and I want to keep my dignity.'

"And he (Suarez) refuses. He's a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club."

Kenny Dalglish said he "never knew" that Suarez had refused to shake hands.

"I wasn't there so I never saw it," said Dalglish. "That's contrary to what I was told."

Pressed for his reaction to the snub, the Liverpool manager said: "Ask him (Suarez) and we'll take it from there."

There were reports of a confrontation between Suarez and Evra in the tunnel during half-time, with stewards intervening.

Earlier, Sir Alex defended his skipper in the programme notes for the match.

"As always, we can expect a feisty match this afternoon, and this time it will have the hangover of the issue between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra," Sir Alex told United Review.

"My own feeling is that it is time to move on.

"Right from the start we have tried to avoid aggravating the situation. As far as we are concerned, it is over."

It emerged during the match that just before kick-off, police seized fanzines containing a "potentially offensive" image, which were being sold outside the ground.

One man was arrested after T-shirts deemed offensive were also found on sale. The garments were seized by officers.