Smith meant to hurt Diaby, blasts Toure

ARSENAL’S anger over Abou Diaby’s fractured ankle shows no sign of abating after defender Kolo Toure accused Sunderland’s Dan Smith of deliberately attempting to hurt the French midfielder.

Diaby is out of the Champions League final with a fractured and dislocated angle after the lunge by fellow 19-year-old Smith.

Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas has also expressed his bafflement at the challenge, which happened with only a minute left on the clock.

Toure is normally mild-mannered but he was infuriated by the lunge on Diaby.

He said: “It wasn’t an accident. He just came in to try to hurt the player, which is really, really bad. I definitely think he went for the player and not for the ball.

“They made bad tackles all the way through the second half. I said that someone would be injured if it continued and two minutes later it happened.

“They wanted to show desire because they were 3-0 down at half-time, but to show desire is not to kick or to hurt the player.”

Sunderland’s caretaker manager Kevin Ball insisted Smith, who was making only his fourth appearance, “wasn’t being malicious“.

But Fabregas said that would be little solace to Diaby whose dreams of appearing in the Champions League final were now over.

The teenage midfielder said: “I am disappointed with them about this. The game was almost over and we were winning 3-0 and it was an unnecessary tackle.

“If you miss the final because of something like that it’s not nice and Abou does not deserve that.

“We cannot afford to lose any more players now in our remaining two games.”

Fabregas insisted that Arsenal can still beat Tottenham for fourth spot in the Premiership.

Spurs play at West Ham in the final match of the season but if they only draw and Arsenal win their remaining two matches, the Gunners’ superior goal difference would see them finish above their north London rivals.

Fabregas said: “West Ham may rest some players because they are in the FA Cup final but they’re at home so many things can happen and maybe they can make a win or a draw.

“I watched Tottenham against Bolton in the hotel and I thought Bolton deserved something.

“Tottenham were not really doing anything but that’s football. They are having the luck.

“We are still going to target fourth place and we have the capacity to win both our games.”