Showdown shows need for video ref

ACCORDING to exotic reports, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was drenched in pea soup in the tunnel after his side’s fractious encounter with Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Pea soup, mark you, not a prawn sandwich - so it seems that, even though he didn’t play in the game, Roy Keane still managed to get his way.

But then, it wouldn’t be Manchester United versus Arsenal if there wasn’t a Niagara of fallout to dominate the back pages. And flying food is the least of it.

Was Sol Campbell’s encounter with Wayne Rooney a penalty? No. And did Rio Ferdinand deserve to see red for his challenge on Freddie Ljungberg? Yes.

Easy for me to say now, of course, having had the luxury since the final whistle of seeing both incidents subjected to forensic examination on the box. But in the ground on the day, and in the seconds it took for these pivotal events to occur, I frankly couldn’t have been sure. Which is why I have some sympathy for referee Mike Riley, who earned the bitter wrath of Arsene Wenger for his handling of the game.

Until such time as football’s authorities wake up and smell the video technology, referees are going to lack the necessary back-up - already easily accessible to millions of TV viewers - to help them make the right decision. In its absence, aggrieved opinion will continue to eclipse hard fact. That said, Wenger’s barely concealed implication that Riley is “a homer” when it comes to Old Trafford was unworthy of him and could yet land the Arsenal manager in hot water with the FA.

Someone who looks like he will definitely be collared by the authorities is Ruud Van Nistelrooy. And rightly so. Of all the controversial incidents in the match, the nature of his foot over the top assault on Ashley Cole was by far the most serious.

So Wayne belly-flopped and Rio body-checked - and, yes, both had a significant influence on the outcome of a big game of football. But the ugliness of Van Nistelrooy’s challenge was actually much more serious in that it had the potential - luckily, not realised - of doing real damage to another player. When the FA sit down to study this particular video nasty, it’s hard to imagine that they won’t hit the United spot-kick hero with a big penalty of their own.

But they shouldn’t have had to wait for the tape. From my own position in the stand it was immediately clear that Van Nistelrooy had met Cole’s challenge with a raised foot - yet, remarkably, the assistant linesman, under whose nose the incident occurred, took no action. Nor did referee Riley. For this, the match officials clearly stand indicted.

That said, Wenger branding the Dutchman a “cheat” hasn’t helped matters. In principle, I’d like to see far fewer restrictions on what managers are allowed to say after a game - whether about referees or players or even matters culinary - but a more liberal and, let’s face it, adult climate of debate, would demand a certain level of responsibility on the part of the boss class.

In this context, it would have been enough for Wenger to condemn the challenge rather than offering a blanket condemnation of the man - instead, he has only succeeded in raising the temperature for the next time these warring clans resume hostilities.

But, lest we forget, there was also some football played in Old Trafford on Sunday - and a compelling game it was, albeit one that will be remembered more for its passion than its panache.

Most of the latter came courtesy of Arsenal but, though their build-up play was often a delight to watch, they were restricted to a minimum of scoring opportunities by some resolute United defending. And, not for the first time, Henry failed to show his best form in a high stakes game, his most clear-cut chance - after an incisive passing move had put him in - producing a good save from Roy Carroll.

United produced intermittent spells of pressure at the other end, but it says much about the real balance of power in the game, that the Man of the Match award went to Rio Ferdinand for a commanding defensive performance. On paper, United have arguably the best attacking line-up in the Premiership, but when it’s a United defender who earns most of the plaudits for a game at Old Trafford, you realise how much work still has to be done before this transitional side realises its undoubted potential.

Put it this way: Wayne Rooney may have been central to both goals but he was never close to being in contention for the Man of the Match.

United fans won’t be worrying about that for the moment. Thanks to a robust, battling performance and two goals which changed everything in the final 20 minutes on Sunday, they’ve re-ignited their faltering Premiership challenge.