Luiz leaves furious Ferguson frustrated

by tammy Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:13 am

Manchester United may still hold the destiny of the Premier League title in their own hands but they let a potentially decisive victory slip carelessly through their fingers at Chelsea.

Amid the acrimony felt by Sir Alex Ferguson as he stalked towards referee Martin Atkinson at the final whistle after Chelsea's 2-1 win, only to think again and march back to the dressing room, this painful reality will have played a large part in his fury and frustration.

Ferguson was in no mood to appreciate the irony wrapped within his anger at Atkinson's failure to detect David Luiz's crude foul on Wayne Rooney at close quarters, an offence that would have warranted a second yellow card for Chelsea's outstanding defender.

United and Rooney were the beneficiaries of similar generosity following that stray elbow to James McCarthy at Wigan on Saturday, teasing the line "we can't dispute referee's decisions" from Ferguson's assistant Mike Phelan.

It was a message lost on an incandescent Ferguson after a defeat which threw the title race wide open, gave confidence to Chelsea that this season may yet yield success and offered hope and consolation to Arsenal after that shattering Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham City.

Those offering sympathy to Ferguson would not form much of a queue but he had every justification to be exasperated with those key decisions that went against United - even if his savage public condemnation of Atkinson struck a sour note.

Scratch under the surface, however, and Ferguson's emotional reaction at the conclusion of a wonderful match may also have been the result of his knowledge that United had this game in their grasp at half-time and let it go, bringing their tally of dropped points on the road this season to 22.

For 20 minutes before half-time United rediscovered the dash and authority that has proved elusive this season, dominating Chelsea in midfield and deserving the reward of Rooney's fine low strike on the half-hour.

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Passages Malibu
Jennifer lopez