Pardew wants RvP punishment

07 October 2012 20:32
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has called on the FA to take action against Manchester United striker Robin van Persie after Sunday's bruising game. United ran out 3-0 winners on Tyneside after getting off to a flying start, but in a Premier League game marred by eight bookings, Pardew was left fuming by a late off-the-ball clash between the Dutchman and France international Yohan Cabaye which went unseen by referee Howard Webb. He said: "He has looked at Yohan and he has elbowed him, and I think that perhaps needs to be looked at, if I am honest. "There's a bit of history from last year and I don't know if Robin has been caught up in that, but that was just a little bit unsavoury. "I actually thought Yohan wouldn't have gone down if he hadn't done something. "I didn't see it myself, but I have obviously seen it on the replay and it looks like he has looked at him and put his elbow there." The prospect of action being taken against his star striker - he potentially faces a three-game ban - was the only negative for United boss Sir Alex Ferguson on an afternoon when his players tore the Magpies apart to exact revenge for their 3-0 defeat in the corresponding fixture last season. The Scot said: "It was a great result. To come here and win 3-0 against a very powerful, aggressive Newcastle team, you have to really perform and make sure you keep control of the game, and I think we did that most of the time." United effectively had the game won within 16 minutes as they surged into a 2-0 lead without breaking sweat. First central defender Jonny Evans was allowed to run on to Van Persie's eighth-minute corner and power a header past keeper Steve Harper, and then full-back Patrice Evra applied a similarly comprehensive final touch to Wayne Rooney's 16th-minute corner to extend the lead. Ferguson said: "It's strange - we played such good football and made a lot of good openings, but we scored from two set-pieces, which is unusual for us, so we will take it, anyway. "Patrice, I think has only scored two goals and I think Jonny Evans has only scored two goals." Newcastle came desperately close to dragging themselves back into it five minutes after the restart when Demba Ba headed Shane Ferguson's cross on to the bar and Papiss Cisse stooped to head the rebound towards goal. However, keeper David de Gea clawed it on to the post and survived claims that the ball had crossed the line. Ferguson said: "The goalkeeper has done fantastically, actually, to get to it, but if the rule is the whole ball has got to be over the line, then it's not a goal. "But I would be disappointed because I thought enough of the ball is over." Newcastle's misery was complete 19 minutes from time when Tom Cleverley cemented victory with a curling effort from long range, although there was not complete agreement over whether he meant it or not. Cleverley told Sky Sports: "Yes, I meant to put it in that far corner. I looked to the far corner - whether it's a good cross or it's a good finish, luckily it found the net." Pardew was left to bemoan the catastrophic defending which cost his side so dearly, and the near miss which might have prompted a fightback. He said: "The goals were not wonder-goals, they were two set-plays, and we were very disappointed with the goals, especially how organised we are as a rule."

Source: team_talk