BBC to complain to Premier League over Manchester United media blackout - report

The BBC are expected to discuss Manchester United's refusal to speak to any broadcasters or press after their defeat against Liverpool with Premier League bosses, according to The Guardian. Host broadcaster Sky Sports, radio broadcaster TalkSport and the BBC were all snubbed by United who released a statement before the game explaining that they would not be giving any interviews after the match.

However it is unlikely that the other broadcasters will complain to the Premier League so the BBC may not lodge an official complaint and ruin what relationship they have remaining with United.

United’s refusal to talk to any media, including their own TV channel MUTV, goes against rules brought in by the Premier League at the start of this season to ensure a spokesperson is always made available to the press after matches.

And the governing body are expected to try and tighten those rules further at the end of this season by imposing a fine for clubs who don’t obey the rules, although it will need to be agreed by all the clubs which may be unlikely.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has refused to speak to the BBC since 2004 but a spokesperson, usually assistant manager Mike Phelan, and players are always put forward to speak in front of the cameras.

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United silent after Anfield defeat

Manchester United left Anfield beaten, bloodied - in Nani's case - and getting ready to be hit in the wallet after a blanket media no-show. After Sunday's 3-1 defeat by Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson led a complete black-out of any media engagements, which given how much trouble he is in at present following midweek comments about referee Martin Atkinson is probably just as well.

Senior United officials were furious at how Jamie Carragher managed to get away with only a booking from Phil Dowd for his challenge on Nani that left the winger with a bad gash to his leg.

Carragher sent a message of apology into the United changing room immediately after the game, then waited for the player to emerge to reinforce his sorrow personally.

A picture of the open wound was posted on Twitter by a member of United's staff and had Ferguson been asked about the matter, his volcanic temper may have erupted once more. Instead, Ferguson kept his counsel, declining to speak with host broadcaster Sky Sports, either before or after his side's third Premier League defeat of the season.

His assistant Mike Phelan did not carry out his usual post-match engagements with the BBC, arranged due to Ferguson's long-standing feud with the organisation. Radio rights holders TalkSPORT were also left without any comment from the visitors.

Should any of these organisations complain to the Premier League, the governing body will be forced to act, escalating the problem between Ferguson and the BBC, the fines for his non-compliance still waiting to be made public.

For the first time, even United's own television channel, MUTV, left a senior game without any reaction. It is not yet known whether the media blackout will continue this week, ahead of United's FA Cup quarter-final with Arsenal, although discussions are bound to take place behind the scenes.

The only comments came via a club spokesman, who confirmed Nani will be assessed tomorrow before the extent of his injury is known, although given the delicate manner in which he made his way out of the stadium, his chances of facing Arsenal on Sunday, and Marseille in the Champions League on March 15 do not look good.

There was also a view from Rio Ferdinand, who was not even at Anfield as he is currently sidelined with a calf problem, but the England skipper said on Twitter: "Bad result today no excuses."

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Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier defends team selection: Ashley Young or Stewart Downing would not have prevented Manchester City’s first goal

Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier defended his team selection after seeing his side beaten 3-0 by Manchester City to exit the FA Cup. Villa started the game with Stewart Downing and Ashley Young both on the bench and several youngsters in the starting XI, but Houllier pointed to a number of international players to justify his selection.

“I started the game with three players up front, three internationals," Houllier told reporters. "Nathan Delfouneso is an international under-21 and he will probably play the tournament in June, Emile Heskey went to the World Cup, and he’s one of our top goalscorers when he was international until last summer and Gabriel Agbonlahor had been selected by Fabio Capello for the last game against Denmark.

The Frenchman also thought that his side played better than the 3-0 scoreline seemed to suggest, but pointed to City’s clinical finishing as the difference between the two sides.

“We have quality in the squad, we have an important game also against Bolton," Houllier added.

"But I don’t think it would have changed anything because we conceded a very cheap goal very quickly and after that for 15 minutes the team were a bit shaky, thinking about what happened last December here, but apart from the two goals I don’t think Brad Friedel had much work to do.

“We were beaten by a team that is better than us at the moment and was probably ruthless in terms of goal opportunities.”Houllier also suggested that more established first team stars may not have been able to overturn City, even if he thought the scoreline did flatter Roberto Mancini’s side slightly.

"I don't think Ashley Young or Stuart Downing would have avoided the first goal, which was very unfortunate," Houllier insisted. "After being down to 1-0 it was difficult.""I don't think we had a bad game. "I admit that we didn't hurt them enough [but] the score is very flattering for them."

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Lampard strike dents United's title hopes

Frank Lampard breathed fresh life into the English Premier League title race as the Chelsea midfielder's controversial late penalty clinched a 2-1 victory over leaders Manchester United. Lampard's dramatic winner came after referee Martin Atkinson ruled that United defender Chris Smalling had brought down Chelsea substitute Yuri Zhirkov with 10 minutes to go at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

It was a hammer blow for United, who suffered just their second league defeat this season despite taking the lead through Wayne Rooney's first-half strike. Brazilian defender David Luiz equalised with his first goal for Chelsea soon after half-time and Lampard sealed the points before captain Nemanja Vidic was sent off for a second booking in stoppage time.

While fourth-place Chelsea's hopes of retaining the title are still slender as they trail United by 12 points, their win has done a massive favour to second-place Arsenal. The Gunners can close to within one point of Sir Alex Ferguson's team if they win their game in hand. Ferguson was furious with Atkinson's penalty decision and the official's failure to send off Luiz for a series of hard tackles.

"We defended badly for the first goal, That was a bad one to lose but the penalty kick was so soft, deary me," Ferguson said. "It's three years in a row that decisions have changed the game here. It was incredible.

"Luiz had done (Javier) Hernandez off the ball and nothing was done. Then he does Rooney, clear as day. "You are talking about what changed the game in the second half, these are decisions that change the game and he is going to be refereeing every week!"

Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti added: "It was a very difficult game against a fantastic team, who showed great quality in the first half. "We had difficulty to close their play but the second half was better because we put more pressure on and played with more intensity."

Ashley Cole, hit by revelations that he accidentally shot a student with an air-rifle at Chelsea's training ground, was greeted with shouts of "shoot" from both sets of fans whenever he got anywhere near United's penalty area.

Ferguson's side, who last won at Chelsea back in 2002, threatened for the first time when Patrice Evra's low cross narrowly eluded Rooney and should have taken the lead moments later. Nani's cross gave Rooney a clear sight of goal, but his woefully mistimed header sailed wide of the target.

However, Rooney, cleared to play after dodging an FA ban for his elbow on Wigan's James McCarthy, showed why he remains United's most dangerous force as he opened the scoring in the 30th minute.

Taking Nani's short pass in his stride, Rooney turned towards the penalty area and, with Branislav Ivanovic backing off, he had time and space to unleash a powerful low strike that arrowed into the bottom corner of Petr Cech's net.

The Blues drew level from virtually their first decent delivery of the match in the 54th minute. Michael Essien floated over a teasing cross that Ivanovic flicked onto Luiz and he blasted a half-volley past van der Sar.

Rooney should have restored United's lead in the 64th minute when Nani's pass sent him sprinting clear of the Chelsea defence but he curled wide. Ryan Giggs came on to make his 606th league appearance for United - equalling Sir Bobby Charlton's record - and he made an instant impression as his chipped pass put Rooney through to fire straight at Cech.

Another substitute, Zhirkov, had the decisive impact, however. Didier Drogba and Lampard worked the ball towards Zhirkov and he stumbled under the slightest of touches from Smalling, prompting Atkinson to award a penalty.

Lampard slammed the 80th minute spot-kick past van der Sar and then Vidic deflected Zhirkov's shot onto a post before the Serbian defender saw red for tugging back Ramires.

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Roberto Martinez reveals Wigan were priced out of move for Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez before Old Trafford switch

Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez has revealed the club were interested in signing Javier Hernandez before he moved Manchester United. Hernandez was on target twice at the DW Stadium on Saturday as United recorded a 4-0 victory over Martinez's side.

The Mexican striker had caught the eye of the Latics, but the Premier League strugglers were priced out of a move for the player, who then plied his trade at Chivas de Guadalajara. “He was a player that went out of our market," Martinez said, according to The Daily Mirror.

“I think everyone was aware of him when he played for Mexico. “But obviously he’s a real talent who Manchester United probably captured before he caught the eye of anyone. “He’s very clever with his movement, tactically impressive and a real asset to United.”

It is thought Hernandez cost the Old Trafford club between £6-8 million upon acquiring a work permit to move to England in May 2010, before the striker went on to impress at the World Cup in South Africa. Hernandez - nicknamed 'Chicharito' - has scored 13 goals in all competitions in an impressive first season in the Premier League. Wigan, meanwhile, are bottom of the table following West Ham United's 3-1 victory over Liverpool on Sunday.

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United to pile pressure

With second-placed Arsenal preparing for the League Cup final against Birmingham, and defending champions Chelsea with no fixture, a United win at Wigan will leave their rivals with little margin for error. A United victory would leave them a mammoth 15 points clear of Chelsea ahead of the two sides re-arranged fixture at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be certain to remove any trace of complacency from his team's ranks as they prepare to meet a Wigan side mired in a relegation dogfight at the foot of the table. Ferguson's squad have struggled to find their best form in recent matches, with a lacklustre 1-0 win over non-league Crawley last weekend followed by a mind-numbing 0-0 Champions League match with Marseilles on Wednesday.

United captain Nemanja Vidic believes the club are entering what could be the decisive part of their season, with next Tuesday's clash with Chelsea followed by games against Liverpool and Arsenal in coming weeks. Vidic is insisting that the club abide by the old adage of taking each game as it comes -- starting with Wigan.

"We have other important games to play first and the next is Wigan. We have to take three points and I believe we can," Vidic told the club's website. Wigan meanwhile have prepared for the game by re-laying the notoriously boggy playing surface at the DW Stadium, a move that will assist both sides, who favour a slick passing game.

Latics boss Roberto Martinez said he had qualms about preparing a surface which is likely to benefit United as much as his own team. "You don't want to go into a game where the players cannot express themselves and cannot play the game they want to play or we want to play," he said. "I'm extremely proud of that.

"From now until the end of the season every point is going to be valuable and it is important we do everything we can to help our players."Elsewhere at the top of the table, Manchester City, who sit in third spot, eight points behind United, will attempt to keep their flagging title hopes alive with a win over Fulham, managed by former City boss Mark Hughes.

Fulham have prepared for the game with a trip to Portugal, as Hughes seeks to rejuvenate his squad following last weekend's disappointing FA Cup exit to Birmingham. "Man City will be a big test, they are a good side," Hughes said. "I think the disappointment (of the FA Cup) will help us in that respect."

At the other end of the table, basement club Wolves will be hoping to drag Blackpool back into the relegation quagmire at Molineux. Wolves remain anchored to the foot of the division on 25 points, and need to start winning if they are to preserve their Premier League status.

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy, who watched Blackpool defeat Tottenham 3-1 at Bloomfield Road in midweek, said nothing less than three points will do for his team, who drew with West Bromwich Albion in their last outing.

"It's a game we have got to win, there's no point dressing it up," McCarthy said. "Had we got six points out of the West Brom and Blackpool games then that would have been fabulous. But after drawing the first one, we need to make it four points out of the two matches."

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