Referees give what they see, maintains Kean as he plots champions’ downfall

Manchester City’s football development executive Patrick Vieira ramped up his war of words with United on Wednesday by claiming that United, along with the biggest clubs in Spain and Italy, are given favourable decisions on home soil.

Vieira’s comments came after referee Michael Oliver failed to award a penalty for an apparent foul by Michael Carrick on Danny Murphy in United’s 1-0 victory over Fulham on Monday.

Ferguson argued decisions even themselves out over a season, and Kean, whose side were put on their way to a stunning 3-2 win at Old Trafford in December by a penalty from Aiyegbeni Yakubu, agrees.

He said: “There’s been occasions this season where you get a decision and sometimes you don’t. I believe they do even themselves out. I’ve always trusted the total integrity of referees, they can only give a decision the way they see it. We managed to get a penalty, which I thought it was, at Old Trafford. We didn’t manage to get one on Saturday at Bolton, which I thought was as well.”

He added; “We’ve always got the beauty of seeing it in high definition, six or seven different angles, frame by frame. I think the referees give what they see and I would never question that.”

Blackburn meet United again on Monday when Ferguson’s side travel to Ewood Park, and a repeat of their New Year’s Eve heroics would be very timely after last weekend’s defeat by Bolton sunk them back within reach of the bottom three.