Jamie Carragher apologised for spitting at a 14-year-old Manchester United fan in the wake of Liverpool's 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Carragher played as a professional for Liverpool for 17 years after breaking into the first-team squad in 1996 and went on to feature in some feisty matches against the club's great rivals United.

Now working in the media, Carragher was covering Saturday's encounter at Old Trafford and then found himself involved in an unseemly incident on the motorway afterwards.

The former defender was filmed spitting from the driver's seat of his car in response to a United fan goading him over the match's 2-1 outcome.

The 14-year-old daughter of the United supporter was in the passenger seat and claims to have been hit in the face by Carragher's saliva.

Carragher explained the goading had been persistent, but he accepted that was no excuse for his behaviour.

On Twitter, Carragher wrote: "Totally out of order and I've apologised personally to all the family this evening.

"I was goaded three or four times along the motorway while being filmed and lost my rag. No excuse, apologies."