Of all the extraordinary incidents that highlighted Sunday's fiery match between Liverpool and Manchester United, the least reprehensible involved striker Mario Balotelli.
How often do we say that?
In a game that saw multiple stamps – one resulting in Steven Gerrard's instantly infamous red card – Balotelli's little scuffle with Chris Smalling was relatively tame. Had it not been for a few supporters, it could have been a whole lot worse.
Balotelli was clearly intending to confront the English defender after the two got tangled on the sidelines, but was held back by a couple Liverpool supporters who may very well have saved him from his second yellow card.
As a result, after the match, Balotelli took to his Facebook page to show his gratitude, posting the following photo and message:
Besides all efforts the game didn't go our way. But one thing was real clear: I wasn't alone on the pitch. YNWA
You really don't walk alone as a member of the Reds.