'It was not until this match lurched into stoppage time that Wayne Rooney bowed to the abuse raining down on him from the stands. The chorus of "Once a blue . . ." spat from the home fans prompted a wry smile, a nod of the head and, finally, a flicked reminder of the scoreline to those behind the goal. He would have been better to appear oblivious to the end.
This was a mere taster of the vitriol that will greet Rooney on his return to Goodison Park in the Cup on Saturday, so his reaction, however slight and belated, was troubling.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with my discipline," muttered the striker. "I've had four yellow cards all year; I had 11 last season." The fourth was flashed before half-time here for a foul on Richard Dunne and, while he maintained his composure for the rest of this contest, he was riled at the end.
It may seem churlish to be overly critical of a teenager subjected to such poison every week but the reality is that, if selected, Rooney will have to restrain his natural instincts to be the calmest figure in a cauldron of hate at Everton in a few days' time.'