The famous Gary Neville celebration against Liverpool is something the man himself has no regrets over - though he denies still hating the Merseyside club.
It's January 2006 and Rio Ferdinand has just headed home a last-minute winner for Manchester United against Liverpool. The Old Trafford crowd goes wild and the United players celebrate madly in front of the home fans. But one player breaks off and heads towards the small pocket of Liverpool fans in the corner who have been yelling abuse at him all game.
The Gary Neville celebration in front of the Liverpool fans on that day remains one of the enduring images of the Manchester United - Liverpool rivalry. And writing in his column in the 'Daily Mail' Neville has given great insight into his mindset when Ferdinand's goal went in - and whether he regrets his conduct given the £5000 fine that resulted from it:
So in the 90th minute, Giggsy is standing over the ball and all I remember is him bending it into the box, Rio Ferdinand rising up and the ball hitting the back of the net. The place exploded.
The rest was just instinct. I turned toward the Liverpool fans in the far corner of the ground and I thought, 'I'm going for them'. I sprinted 60-odd yards and I was just out of my head.
When I got to them, well — I looked at the faces of all those travelling fans who had been singing for 89 minutes and in that moment, they had no answer. It was one of the best feelings of my life.
The FA fined me £5,000 for my actions. I'd gladly pay it again 100 times.
Neville writes that playing against Liverpool was, for him, "almost an out-of-body experience", superior to all other rivalries - even Manchester City. And he has been posting entertaining photos on his Instagram account demonstrating the mutual dislike he shared with Liverpool fans in his playing days.
But he denies hating Liverpool, going against proclamations he has made in the past.
I used to say I hated Liverpool, but I've softened a little bit. Now, I'd say it's more complicated than just hate. Whenever I'm asked if I'm sorry for celebrating in front of the Liverpool fans back in 2006, my answer is the same every time: of course not.
Football is about emotions. Humour, disappointment, anxiety, sheer joy, sheer sadness. It's all of the emotions you experience at different points throughout the week, but it's jammed into 90 minutes. To me, the beauty of football is that rollercoaster. Very few things in life will make you feel like that.
Neville revealed that his car "was nearly flipped over when some (Liverpool) fans recognised me in a traffic jam a mile outside Old Trafford" before giving an entertaining take on a well-known yarn regarding his relationship with Liverpool that did the rounds a while back.
There's a bit of folklore about two Scouse brothers who were doing work on my house a few years back.
The story goes the brothers buried a Liverpool scarf underneath the tiles of my swimming pool. It's something that's never been proven and probably never will be.
I don't even live in that house any more, but I'm going to put it in my will that if anybody ever finds that bloody scarf, they must follow my final wish — burn it.
Neville's piece is well worth a read and also gives insight into his childhood memories of going to Old Trafford as well as how he hopes Jurgen Klopp will react to a Liverpool goal.
