THE scoreboard may have read something different, but the result was unquestioned. When it came to selfish footballers embarrassing their clubs, the outcome at Old Trafford on Saturday was most definitely a resounding away victory.

What else to think after an afternoon supposed to draw a line under the most tawdry episode to besmirch such a magnificent fixture served only to sully reputations even further?

We’ll deal with Patrice Evra later on. Luis Suarez, though, is the man to whom most fingers remain pointing. And rightly so.

The unseemly spectacle of the Liverpool striker refusing to shake hands with Evra during the pre-match formalities sent a depressingly negative message blaring throughout the world.

Suarez let himself down. He let his manager down. And, most of all, he let his club down.

Kenny Dalglish, who had been led to believe Suarez would shake Evra’s hand, has stuck by the Uruguayan throughout this whole episode to an unwise degree, culminating in a post-match television interview on Saturday that did the Scot no favours whatsoever.

Suarez put Dalglish in a position to be made look a fool, prompting the manager into an apology of his own. Suarez lied to the club. And their unwavering support had to end.

If Liverpool were to stop blundering from one public relations calamity to another, they had to drag Suarez into line.

Yesterday’s clear admonishment by managing director Ian Ayre is a step in right direction, an overt act reminding Suarez of his responsibilities to the club.

It came as the player himself said sorry. But how many times is Suarez going to apologise before the penny finally drops?