A Monday night TV classic ended in controversy last night as an apparent elbow from Aston Villa substitute Juan Pablo Angel on Sheffield United skipper Chris Morgan proved the prelude to angry scenes in the tunnel at the end of the match.
But neither manager was willing to fan the flames on the game's one flashpoint, missed by referee Mark Halsey.
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill admitted that he had not seen the incident which sparked off what he called "a bit of a kerfuffle in the tunnel", referring to it as a case of "much ado about nothing". But he did also reveal that he was planning to view video footage of it today before making any further comment.
The usually outspoken Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock did see it, but he was reluctant to say anything to provocative, merely claiming: "There's no need for that. And let's just say I thought it was disappointing that the official did not see it.
"We get bookings for nothing and the referee has seen that. He’s stood in a good position and he’s seen that.
"There were two blatant handballs today and he’s not seen them."
And, when asked to explain his assistant manager Stuart McCall's lightning dash down the tunnel at the final whistle, Warnock kept his tongue in his cheek.
"I think Macca just wanted a wee wee," he said.
