Wenger lambasts Rooney over dodgy penalty
The Gunners boss was already seething at Riley for failing to dismiss man-of-the-match Rio Ferdinand for a foul on Freddie Ljungberg during the first half of the Red Devils’ 2-0 win, then for failing to spot Ruud van Nistelrooy’s stamp on Ashley Cole and finally for not clamping down on a succession of fouls on Jose Reyes.
But what really tipped Wenger over the edge was Riley’s decision to award a penalty for Sol Campbell’s tackle on Wayne Rooney 18 minutes from time when there appeared to be minimal contact between the England pair.
Wenger just stopped short of directly accusing Rooney of being a cheat but claimed the youngster, who celebrated his 19th birthday by scoring an injury-time second, had told the Arsenal team Campbell had not touched him.
“Rooney told my players he had not been touched,” said Wenger. “There is a deep feeling of injustice among my players because it is quite clear there was no contact. It feels like we have been robbed. Sol Campbell told me there had been no contact and in situations like that, the referee has to be sure. It didn’t look obvious to me but look at the record of the referee in matches involving Manchester United. That tells you all you need to know,” he said.
Riley has a history of awarding penalties for the Old Trafford side, including two in one game against Liverpool a couple of seasons ago.
Alex Ferguson believed the Leeds official had an impossible job, claiming Patrick Vieira was running the game during the first half because “he was always by the referee’s side.”
Not surprisingly, Wenger saw things differently. “We are not happy about the penalty, or the tackle by Ferdinand on Ljungberg in the first half, or the fact Reyes was kicked off the park. Ashley Cole has a big bruise on his shin and nearly didn’t come out for the second half after the incident with van Nistelrooy. But these type of tactics are exactly what I expected from Manchester United.
“This is what they always do when they are in a difficult situation and playing against us. It’s disappointing because we were the better team. They hardly had a chance in either half before the penalty.
I am proud of my players and we are still a great side. Now we just have to go on another unbeaten run,” he said.
Wenger denied reports there had been a post-match fracas in the tunnel, though there were a series of feuds including one between Roy Carroll and Thierry Henry, who was frustrated at the time taken by Carroll to pick the ball up in his own area once the hosts had gone in front.
For Ferguson it was the perfect outcome to a must-win game, with the extra satisfaction of Van Nistelrooy putting the misery of his penalty miss in the corresponding fixture last term well and truly behind him.
“It has taken over a year but I am so pleased he had a chance to put what happened behind him,” said the Scot.
“I was just starting to think about making a substitution when we got the penalty. It looked clear enough to me. If someone gets brought down in the area, the decision is automatic.
“As for the Ferdinand situation, the referee got it right again. Ljungberg wasn’t getting the ball, he wasn’t beating Rio for pace, so the next best thing is to try and get the referee to make a decision,” said Ferguson.
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