Ferguson 'insulted' by Hernandez yellow card

Forward booked for dive in 0-0 draw at Newcastle that throws Arsenal title lifeline

The Manchester United manager was a frustrated spectator at St James' Park last night

Sir Alex Ferguson claimed it was "an insult" that referee Lee Probert booked Javier Hernandez for diving in the closing moments of last night's goalless draw at Newcastle rather than award Manchester United a potentially match-winning penalty.

The United manager, who considered Carlo Ancelotti's concession of the title to be premature, claimed Probert had marred an otherwise fine performance with the decision not to penalise Danny Simpson's challenge. "It was a clear penalty," he said. "It is an insult because he booked him. The referee had a good game but he lets himself down by booking the player."

The Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew, who admitted his "heart was in my mouth" when Simpson made his challenge on Hernandez said he was equally convinced Probert had come up with the correct decision. He added that he still thought Manchester United, seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, would regain the championship.

However, their failure to win at St James' Park, a ground where they have not lost in a decade, leaves the title race still open in theory. Should Arsenal overcome Tottenham in tonight's north London derby, they can close Manchester United's lead to four points with five matches remaining. However, Ferguson considered Chelsea, whose manager, Ancelotti, has already conceded the title, to be just as threatening despite the fact they are nine points adrift with a game in hand.

"I think you have to look at Chelsea also and how they respond," Ferguson said. "They have three home games in a row now. There are two important games coming up for us – that's the Arsenal game away and the Chelsea game at home – and that will decide things."

A lacklustre first half after both Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand were sidelined by illness and injury respectively suggested that Manchester United were still feeling the effects of Saturday's FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City, although Ferguson was encouraged by their response after the interval.

"We tried to freshen it up as much as we could in terms of the game on Saturday because Wembley can be a tiring pitch, a slow pitch," Ferguson said. "It can drag players down a bit. But in fairness we didn't show any of those signs, they were really energetic. They thrived on the challenge. I thought that was good at this stage of the season.

"Newcastle probably deserved a point, particularly because of what they did in the first 20 minutes but for the rest of the game we were more or less in control. At this stage of the season, we are in a better position than we were on Saturday. It's one less game and in the same position ahead of Arsenal."

Michael Owen, the subject of some ferocious booing on his return to St James' Park, responded on Twitter, saying: "I knew I would get booed because that is what a lot of fans do but, if they knew the facts, it would be different."

Source : The Independent 20 April 2011