Michael Owen's over-zealous celebration against Wigan showed how quickly former loyalties are forgotten
Antonio Valencia showed commendable restraint at Wigan, refusing to celebrate as he and his Manchester United team-mates buried his old club under an avalanche of goals.
While United's jubilant players celebrated their goals, Valencia - out of respect to his former club - simply strolled back to the halfway line to await the restart.
Contrast that with the reaction of Michael Owen, who blew kisses to Manchester United's away support and reached for the badge on his shirt following his first goal for the club.
In fairness to Owen, he wasn't under any kind of obligation to tone down his celebrations like Valencia, because he wasn't facing a former club.
But as a former Liverpool player, Owen's over-zealous antics in scoring showed how swiftly former loyalties are forgotten in the modern-day game.
When Denis Law scored his infamous back-heel for Manchester City in 1974, he showed no emotion because he thought the winning goal had ultimately relegated his former club.
And when Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Manchester United against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, he bowed in deference to the fans of his first club.
Football has witnessed many such sporting moments down the years, where players scoring against an old club display hitherto unseen dignity and humility.
The rivalry between United and Liverpool remains arguably the most bitter and ingrained in English football, built on decades of vitriol between the two major north-west cities.
Liverpool fans will have watched Owen's goal celebration with a mixture of anger and dismay, their former prolific striker showing such undiluted joy at scoring for their fiercest rivals.
So it will be interesting to see if Owen, whose Public Enemy No.1 status among Liverpool fans was cemented with his move to United, celebrates in the same manner should he score at Anfield this season. Somehow I doubt it.
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