Monday, January 23, 2012

Both Manchester Premiership Teams Win, But City's Balotelli A Disgrace to Football

Both of Manchester's Premiership clubs won on Sunday, but one left a bitter taste to many football fans.

Manchester United overcame Arsenal at the Emirates winning by 2-1.

Antonio Valencia scored first for United just before half-time with a great header from Giggs' well targeted pass. Arsenal then drew level after Robin van Persie's shot went in with about 20 minutes of the game left.

Danny Welbeck worked hard and got himself into a good position and benefited from Valencia's work on the edge of the box to score United's winning goal. Substitute Rafael was himself substituted just a few minutes earlier, but he wasn't too pleased at Fergie's decision.

As for Manchester City, Harry Redknapp, Spurs manager, had a grievance about Balotelli who clearly stamped on the head of Scott Parker with a back heel when Parker was on the floor after a collision. How Balotelli got away with not being red-carded I have no idea. Hopefully the FA will do the right thing and review the event, and Balotelli should receive a four-match ban, should the FA intervene. Violent conduct has no place in football, and Balotelli and the City management should be ashamed of what happened. Sadly this is one player picking up a reputation for very different reasons.

Had the player been sent off the game would have been so different. It was Balotelli who was later fouled in the penalty area, and it was he who scored the resulting penalty. City won the match 3-2.

And to make matters worse, there is a question over whether an elbow by Joleon Lescott in the face of  Younes Kabou was accidental or deliberate. It looked deliberate to me, as well as the MOTD2 pundits, so there could and perhaps should have been only nine City players on the field at the end, with a very different scoreline likely.

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