Fergie and Rooney May Face Rap

Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson are alleged to have lashed out at referee Steve Bennett at half time in a bad-tempered Manchester derby. Cristiano Ronaldo will be in trouble with the Football Association after being sent off for a wild challenge midway through the second half of City’s 3-1 victory, but that will be just the beginning of United’s problems if there is substance to reports of disturbances in the players’ tunnel.

Rooney, booked on the stroke of the interval, swore at Bennett and allegedly kicked a door on his way to the United dressing room. Several eyewitness accounts suggest that there was also a half-time confrontation between an angry Ferguson and the referee. In his most brusque Glaswegian, Ferguson is alleged to have called Bennett a disgrace and a cheat who would need a police escort to get out of the ground, which if mentioned in the referee’s report is certain to lead to an FA charge.

Goals from Trevor Sinclair, Darius Vassell and a last-minute clincher from substitute Robbie Fowler sent the City fans home happy, though so did the sight of Rooney losing his temper and Patrice Evra, the £5million debutant, being kept off at half time after ineffectual defending had cost United two goals.

"I’ve seen the replays and the first goal was definitely offside," a calmer Ferguson said at the final whistle. "We were unlucky there, but to be fair the defending was poor on both occasions. The sending-off was disappointing. Cristiano didn’t get a free-kick for a foul and got frustrated. What he did was rash rather than violent - he’s not that type of player - but he didn’t make contact." Nor did Evra when he went up for an aerial ball with Sinclair and lost out in the build-up to City’s second goal.

City deserved victory. "We looked like the team who were up for a derby, the ones who had turned up for a scrap," manager Stuart Pearce said. "The players fought for everything and they deserved everything they got. We didn’t go into the game full of confidence, but we played like a team full of confidence."

With the exception of Nemanja Vidic, who will not have any worries about winning a place in central defense after watching this performance, United’s confidence is draining. This week they have the Cup replay against Burton, for which Rooney is suspended, then Liverpool in the league next Sunday, a key fixture in the battle for second place.

"We will bounce back," Ferguson said.