'That's the way they are' - Bitter Alex Ferguson left fuming when Liverpool ruined Gary Neville's birthday

No other side annoyed Sir Alex Ferguson more than Liverpool.

And nothing got under the skin of the former Manchester United boss quite like a defeat to his bitter Red rivals from down the East Lancs Road.

That's exactly what happened 16 years ago today, when Peter Crouch's headed goal knocked United out of the FA Cup at Anfield and helped Liverpool on their way to lifting the trophy in 2006.

In a furious contest that saw Liverpool win the war of attrition, Alan Smith suffered serious injury blocking a late John Arne Riise shot and birthday boy Gary Neville was pelted with a half-eaten burger by the Anfield crowd.

But Liverpool's triumph was to prove the turning point in what had previously been a cordial relationship between Ferguson and Rafael Benitez, who was just over 18 months into his Anfield reign and up until that point, had failed to beat United in any contest.

Ferguson had previously been polite towards his opposite number, but as the ECHO's Chief LFC Writer Ian Doyle, then writing for the Daily Post put it, the "mask slipped" when Benitez out-thought the Scot to end their hopes of another major trophy.

And with Liverpool closing ground in the Premier League, Ferguson didn't react well to being one-upped by the Spaniard.

"Liverpool can be that way," Ferguson moaned after seeing his side outplayed for 90 minutes. . "They play for five minutes and win a game. That's the way they are."

He'd add: "You need an element of luck in the Cup and we didn't have it.

"We lost Rio Ferdinand after training on Friday then Mikael Silvestre got a knock.

"It has been 85 years since Liverpool beat us in the FA Cup and I was hoping it would be another 85 years, then I wouldn't be around to see it."

In his report, Ian Doyle