Wenger fumed: "This defeat is very difficult to take because we feel like we were robbed today. We felt we were the better team but the referee made the difference. From out of nowhere, Riley has decided the outcome of the game. We can master our own performance but we can do nothing at all about how the referee performs. Rooney admitted to my players that Sol Campbell did not touch him when he went down. There was no contact at all. That penalty was the turning point in the game. My players have a deep sense of injustice."
"But just look at Mike Riley’s record when he comes to Old Trafford and it says more than any words. He gave a penalty when it was impossible to be certain there was a foul and, especially in big games like this, you must be certain. Yet he was lenient when Jose Reyes was deliberately kicked all over the park. I went to him after the final whistle to question his decisions. I feel it best to talk to the referee directly."
Wenger added: "I thought there was a chance some of their players could have lost their heads, but I was proud of my players for the way they handled themselves. We knew United would be very physical because that is always the way it is when they are in a difficult situation against us."