Source: Telegraph
Debate: is Martin O'Neill right about referees favouring the biggest clubs?
The Aston Villa manager will today call Mike Riley, the general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, to discuss the performance of referee Howard Webb in Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at Wembley after becoming infuriated with the South Yorkshire official's decision-making. [LNB]O'Neill saw his side denied what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty in the first half after Gabriel Agbonlahor was pulled down in the penalty area by John Obi Mikel. But was it a penalty - or did Agbonlahor tug the Chelsea midfielder's shirt in the tangle? And if it was a penalty, should Mikel have been sent off, as O'Neill asserted afterwards? [LNB] Related ArticlesO'Neill rages at Terry tackleAston Villa 0 Chelsea 3Milner the star despite Villa's defeatVilla-Chelsea: player ratingsCollins eyes revenge after Chelsea humiliationSport on televisionThe Aston Villa manager also raged at former England captain Terry for a tackle on Milner that he described as a "horrendous challenge". Was Terry lucky to stay on the pitch? Did Webb "bottle it" in only cautioning the centre-back? [LNB]And coming six weeks after Phil Dowd's decision not to send off Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic for a professional foul on Agbonlahor at the start of the Carling Cup final, is O'Neill right in claiming that referees subconsciously favour the bigger sides? [LNB]Read the comments and then have your say below...[LNB]
