To say Steven Gerrard's last visit to Old Trafford didn't end well would be an understatement. His heatmap could have been drawn with a ruler as he came on at halftime for Liverpool, put in a nasty challenge in the centre circle within 30 seconds and was subsequently sent off.
The former Liverpool captain was mocked by the Manchester United crowd on that day, as you would expect, and that would be the last time he'd face the club as a player, moving to LA Galaxy the following summer and then retiring.
Now a manager, Gerrard was hoping to improve on his rather disappointing record against United at Old Trafford, where he had recorded only five wins to 11 losses. Scott McTominay, however, quickly put an end to that dream, heading in a lobbed ball from his midfield partner Fred for the only goal of the game.
To say United fans 'don't like' Gerrard is a kind way of putting it; he was the figurehead of the enemy for over a decade. Therefore, on his return as a manager with Aston Villa, the reception he received would reflect that.
But according to Gerrard, this wasn't the case as in his post-match interview he said: "Relatively quiet. I have been to noisier stadiums than this. It was a good cup tie, a good atmosphere but in terms of what I got, water off a duck's back."
Now Gerrard could be described as arrogant, as a positive by his fans and a negative by his opponents, and these comments seem to be a continuation of the persona that served him so well as a player.
Because I was at the game, and Old Trafford was anything but quiet.
Gerrard was initially greeted onto the pitch by a chorus of boos from the Stretford End. You could also hear any time he ventured near the tunnel throughout the match, but that was only the beginning of a long night for the Aston Villa manager.
The chants you would expect were also rolled out, referencing both his scouse heritage and the now-infamous moment when Gerrard slipped in a crucial match against Chelsea, allowing Demba Ba to run clean through on goal and score.
We won't quote the exact chants here because this is a family publication, but you probably know the ones I mean.
United's jeering reached its climax in the 54th minute when Aston Villa thought they had equalised thanks to a goal from Danny Ings. Still, after a lengthy VAR review before which Gerrard and his team had taken the opportunity to celebrate wildly in front of a packed Old Trafford, the goal was chalked off.
United fans responded in kind, mocking Gerrard in a way reminiscent of that moment all those years ago when he was sent for an early bath, leaving the former Redman only red in the face.
Overall, you can use many words to describe the crowd towards Gerrard, but 'quiet' is definitely not one of them.
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