Liverpool star comes back to haunt Man Utd owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe on debut

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In recent years, whenever Liverpool has been squaring up against their arch-rivals Manchester United, there's one certainty you could almost always tick off your bingo card.

The sight of legendary Red Devils gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson witnessing the latest defeat at the hands of a team he battled so fiercely to knock off their perch has become a favourite - and frequent - spectacle for telly broadcasters. Sure enough, whenever the Reds are getting one over on United, the cameras swiftly pan to a glum-looking Ferguson in the crowd.

Of course, he's not the only one. With United's struggles ongoing, more than 12 years after Ferguson's retirement and their most recent Premier League title, Red Devils co-owner and Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also often an easy target for the cameras when enduring his club's latest misfortune on the pitch.

But that's not just limited to Old Trafford, with Ratcliffe and INEOS owning multiple clubs across Europe. As a result, the 72 year old found himself cursing one Liverpool star this week despite the fact that the Reds weren't even playing.

Kostas Tsimikas joined AS Roma on loan from the Reds last month and was handed his first start for the club against OGC Nice - one of Ratcliffe and INEOS' other clubs - in the Europa League this week.

The Greek sensation made an immediate impact, providing a crucial assist against the Ligue 1 team by delivering a superb cross from the left wing for Gianluca Mancini to score what turned out to be the winning goal.

Mancini, the centre-back, scored Roma's second goal within just three minutes to double their lead. Despite Terem Moffi's late penalty consolation, the Serie A team held on for a 2-1 victory, kicking off their Europa League campaign on a high note.

Following Tsimikas' assist leading to Mancini's opening goal, television cameras swiftly panned to a visibly frustrated Ratcliffe in the stands, as the United co-owner watched his second-largest investment face a setback.

Kostas Tsimikas

Kostas Tsimikas has enjoyed a bright start to life with his new club

Ratcliffe's INEOS group took over Nice in August 2019, but have had mixed results in France. Their highest league position under his ownership is fourth in Ligue 1, while their most notable European performance was reaching the Conference League quarter-finals in the 2023/24 season.

Ratcliffe has previously been criticised for his infrequent attendance at Nice matches, although he was clearly present at the Allianz Riviera on Wednesday evening. He also stirred controversy earlier this year when he admitted his lack of enthusiasm for French football.

"I don't particularly enjoy going to watch Nice because there are some good players, but the level of football is not high enough for me to get excited," he confessed to The Times back in March.

In other news, Tsimikas shared a photo on Instagram after the match, celebrating Mancini's goal with yellow and red emojis, a tribute to Roma's home colours. Liverpool supporters have noticed that he's updated his bio on the social media site to 'Scouser in Rome', demonstrating his continued affection for his parent club.

Despite being loaned out to the Serie A team following Liverpool's signing of Milos Kerkez, Roma do not have an option to purchase him outright at the end of the season.

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