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Wenger wants FA action against Ruud
Arsene Wenger has called on the Football Association to look again at Ruud van Nistelrooy's first-half challenge on Ashley Cole at Old Trafford on sunday which BBC pundit Alan Hansen labelled 'a disgrace'.
Television replays showed the prolific Manchester United striker slide his boot down Cole's shin as the pair tussled for possession during the 2-0 win which ended Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten run.
While Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the incident appeared innocuous and was surprised Arsenal were questioning it, Hansen pulled no punches as he assessed the game on Match of the Day: 'It was nasty, cynical - a disgrace.'
Wenger is still furious with Van Nistelrooy for his part in Patrick Vieira's dismissal in the corresponding fixture last season.
So, with referee Mike Riley deciding the incident did not even warrant a free-kick - one of a string of decisions from the Leeds official which left Wenger seething - the Frenchman hopes the FA will step in.
'Yes, I would like them to look at it,' he said.
'We know how Ruud van Nistelrooy behaves. He can only cheat people - we know him very well.'
The fact Van Nistelrooy stroked home the 72nd-minute penalty which put United on the way to victory only compounded Wenger's frustration.
By that time, Wenger felt his side should have been playing against 10 men anyway, so certain was he that Rio Ferdinand's first-half clash with Freddie Ljungberg should have resulted in the Red Devils skipper being sent off.
With Jose Reyes on the end of some tough tackling which Wenger felt Riley did nothing to stamp out meant, he was even further riled when the referee then awarded a penalty against Sol Campbell, even though he appeared to make minimal contact with birthday boy Wayne Rooney.
'Rooney told my players afterwards that he hadn't been touched,' complained the Gunners chief.
'But it's the usual thing when you come to play Manchester United and they are in trouble.
'Look at the record of the referee in games involving Manchester United. That tells you all you need to know.'
Riley has now awarded the Red Devils seven penalties in as many games, although Wenger did not have an opinion on Cole's foul on Cristiano Ronaldo which should have brought a second spot-kick but brought no award from the referee.
Instead, Wenger turned his fury on United's physical approach, especially the way they appeared to target Reyes.
'These type of tactics are exactly what I expected from Manchester United,' said Wenger.
'This is what they always do when they are in a difficult situation and playing against us.'
Following on from last season's FA Cup semi-final, it was the second game in succession that Arsenal's juggernaut has come to a stuttering halt in the face of a highly motivated United side.
Having told his team they could not afford anything but a victory, Ferguson said he had been convinced they would do exactly that, and they wrapped up maximum points in stoppage time when Rooney tapped home after substitutes Louis Saha and Alan Smith had combined to exploit the gaps being left in the visitors' defence.
'It was a big win for us,' said Ferguson.
'It proves there is nothing between the sides.
'Arsenal are a very good team but we have matched them in head-to-head encounters down the years. Now we have to find a similar level of consistency.'
Unsurprisingly, Ferguson had a differing opinion of Riley's performance, specifically the key issues which determined the outcome.
On Ferdinand's challenge with Ljungberg he felt the Swede ran into the England centre-back.
'He [Ljungberg] was clever, he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere near the ball, so he ran into him and forced the referee to make a decision,' said Ferguson.
And as far as the penalty was concerned, Ferguson thought the issue was straightforward.
'If someone is brought down in the area, it's a penalty,' he said. 'What other decision is there?
'At times I was disappointed with the referee but the nature of the game made it impossible for him.
'Every time he made a decision, he had Patrick Vieira by his side. That must be difficult to handle.
The last defeat was in May 2003. It's been a long time since then...
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