Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini was involved in an angry tunnel exchange with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard after his side's 1-0 Carling Cup semi-final first-leg defeat.
The pair clashed twice with Gerrard annoyed at Mancini's response to a Glen Johnson tackle on Joleon Lescott.
"Steven Gerrard can say what he wants," said Mancini. "I said what I think. That is what I am used to doing.
"It is not important what Gerrard or the other players have said."
There's a real sense of injustice among the Man City fans at Etihad Stadium. There wasn't much difference between that tackle from Glen Johnson and Vincent Kompany's on Nani on Sunday
Mancini criticised the two-footed tackle by Liverpool defender Johnson that was similar to Vincent Kompany's challenge on Nani in the 3-2 defeat by Manchester United.
Before the match Mancini had voiced his displeasure at Kompany's four-match ban.
And afterwards he said: "This tackle was worse. I said something [after the tackle]. It was not for Johnson. It is for the tackle. This tackle was worse than Vinny's [Kompany's]. Everyone can see it."
Steven Gerrard rejected Mancini's criticisms and compared the incident to when Mancini had insisted Wayne Rooney was to blame for Kompany's red card in Sunday's Manchester derby at Etihad Stadium.
When asked if he agreed with Mancini's view on Johnson's challenge, the Liverpool captain, whose penalty after Stefan Savic's foul on Daniel Agger was the only goal of the game, told BBC Sport: "I don't think so. It was a clear winner of a tackle.
"But that surprises me because he was talking about Wayne Rooney trying to get his player sent off and now he's trying to get one of ours into trouble. I don't think that works."
After failing with an appeal against his red card, Kompany, who was absent from the Liverpool game and will miss the matches against Wigan, Tottenham and the second leg against Liverpool, claimed his dismissal could lead to an unprecedented number of red cards in future matches.
Barnsley keen to beat Bristol City to signing of City defender McGivernBy Sportsmail Reporter
Barnsley have made an enquiry to Manchester City for defender Ryan McGivern. The Northern Ireland international is on loan at Bristol City who were discussing making the deal permanent with a £300,000 offer.
Target: Barnsley are keen on taking Ryan McGivern to Oakwell
However, their offer has yet to go in and Barnsley are trying to step in and persuade the 22-year-old to join them instead.
Hughes: I’ve learnt from mistakes at City
Mark Hughes believes his struggle to satisfy Manchester City’s mega-rich owners will stand him in good stead at QPR.
Rangers’ Tony Fernandes-led regime have big plans for the club but are relatively new to football, which Hughes’ predecessor Neil Warnock feels was a factor in his sacking.
But Hughes has experience of dealing with new, ambitious owners, having been manager at City when they were taken over by the Abu Dhabi Investment Group.
Fernandes is keen to make major signings.Hughes explained: “I’ve been through it before and that experience will help me because, in fairness, I probably made mistakes with the new owners last time and I understand that now.
“I can learn from that and I’m a better manager than I was then. There [at City] we had different layers of management and it was very difficult to navigate, but I’m happy with the structure here.”
And Hughes says he is unperturbed by the turnover of managers at Loftus Road in the last few years.
The Welshman is Rangers’ 11th boss since 2006 and Warnock, who lasted less than two years, was by far the longest-serving manager during that period.
Hughes said: “Perhaps now there’s a will to calm things down, back somebody and give them the opportunity.
“I’m grateful for that opportunity, because I back my own ability. Given enough time, I will definitely make this club successful.”
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[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea are ready to pull the plug on the deal to sign Bolton defender Gary Cahill unless he agrees to join them on Thursday. Daily Mirror
Newcastle and Liverpool target Luuk de Jong is unlikely to move before the end of the season although he has admitted he would love to play in England. International Business Times
Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt could be on his way out of Anfield after becoming frustrated at a lack of first team opportunities and Turkish side Galatasaray could be his destination. Footybunker.com
Arsenal are set to make a £4.1m bid to bring Barcelona defender Eric Abidal to the Emirates. Caught Offside
Newcastle could be forced to wait to sign Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha due to the Eagles continued involvement in the Carling Cup. They lead Cardiff 1-0 after the semi-final first leg so the Magpies could be forced to move in the summer. Evening Chronicle
Liverpool are also eyeing a move for the England youth international but he's been warned against leaving the club before a potential Wembley trip by his Palace team-mate Paddy McCarthy. Daily Mirror
Manchester United have told defender Darron Gibson he can leave Old Trafford and he's already held talks with Everton over a £2.5m move. Daily Mirror
Norwich City and Swansea are set to battle it out for the signature of Brighton midfielder Liam Bridcutt. The 22-year-old is expected to cost around £1m. talkShit
QPR boss Mark Hughes has made his first moves into the transfer market, making a bid for Chelsea defender Alex after having a £5m offer for Blackburn's Chris Samba rejected. Metro
Tottenham are also interested in signing the Blackburn defender and have made a £7.5m offer. Daily Mail
Aston Villa are set to miss out on the signing of Slovenian midfielder Armin Bacinovic as Chievo Verona are the favourites to sign him. talkShit
Bayern Munich are set to step up their interest in Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov. Inside Futbol
Chris Coleman is set to be named as Gary Speed's successor as Wales manager later this month. The former Coventry and Fulham boss is set to quit as manager of Greek second division side Larissa. Daily Mail
Sunderland star Lee Cattermole believes the emergence of James McClean could save the club a fortune in the transfer market. Evening Chronicle
Swansea defender Alan Tate will hand manager Brendan Rodgers a huge boost by returning to action after breaking his leg in a golf buggy accident. He hasn't featured since the opening day of the season but is aiming to make up for lost time. South Wales Evening Post
Wigan midfielder Hendry Thomas has been urged to fill the void left by Momo Diame's departure for the African Cup of Nations. Wigan Evening Post
Wayne Rooney suffered a double blow at the recent Ballon d'Or awards. As well as missing out to Neymar for the best goal award he was beaten by a Portuguese youngster in the battle to be the best FIFA 12 player. the Metro
more bollox later
