Furious Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill slammed the decision not to send Nemanja Vidic off in the opening minutes of Sunday's Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United at Wembley.
The Serbia international brought Gabriel Agbonlahor down inside the penalty area after only four minutes but was not even booked by referee Phil Dowd.
James Milner fired Villa ahead from the spot only for goals by Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney to hand the trophy to Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
O'Neill was still angry about the decision after the match, saying:"It was plain for all to see. It was an inexplicable decision.
"I don't understand it. It's a goalscoring opportunity. He's felled in the penalty area. It's straightforward from an otherwise fine referee who has got it wrong. It's as simple as that.
"In a couple of days it's forgotten. We're losing finalists in a fine game of football, but it's a major point in the game.
"We played some really great football, some great performances. But you can't keep a team like Manchester United at bay all the time and they came roaring back in the second half.
"It's hard to take. I thought we played splendidly, particularly in the first half, and got in front. Manchester United got the equaliser but at half-time I felt we were very, very capable of winning.
"I'm disappointed for the team but they're resilient, they're strong, they're young and they'll fight back.
"We felt we were capable no matter what side they played. We have to try and get back here again in May because it's a worthwhile journey."
Football News 24/7
Leave a Comment