Monday 20 October 2014 14:21, UK
Swansea defender Angel Rangel is adamant his challenge on Victor Moses in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Stoke did not warrant a penalty.
Moses went down in the visitors' area following minimal contract from Rangel and Charlie Adam levelled from the spot just before the half-time break.
Referee Michael Oliver’s decision left Rangel visibly stunned at the time, and also prompted an angry post-match tirade from Swans boss Garry Monk against both the official and Moses which could land the manager in trouble with the Football Association.
Football is a game of mistakes from all the players and the referees, and I think he made a mistake.
Giving his own reflection on the incident, Rangel said: "Sometimes you say 'I have to watch it again to see how it went', but I knew it wasn't a penalty.
"It was clear the contact was minimal.
"It was very unfair. All the boys and the manager have said they watched it again and there wasn't really contact - they said he was diving even before I committed."
The 31-year-old Spanish full-back added: "Football is a game of mistakes from all the players and the referees, and I think he (Oliver) made a mistake."
As well as branding Oliver's decision "disgraceful" and "disgusting", saying "he (Moses) has cheated the ref and then the ref's cheated us" and calling for the winger to be punished for a "blatant dive", Monk also had strong words for referees' chief Mike Riley.
Monk said he had had no response from Riley to a letter he sent him expressing concerns about decisions made in Swansea games this season, and accused him of "poor leadership".
Swans captain Ashley Williams admits he has been "baffled" by some of those decisions, and had no doubt the Moses incident had been called wrong by Oliver - although he also stressed that the Northumberland official is one of his "favourites".
Oliver gave that penalty nine minutes after awarding one at the other end when Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross grappled in the home box at a corner with Wilfried Bony, who hit the turf and then slotted in the resulting spot-kick.
Asked if he thought there had been a feeling Oliver would, having given that one, then award Stoke a penalty, Wales defender Williams said: "That is the quick thing to say - the obvious thing, you would suggest.
"I don't know if that is what he was thinking. Maybe he just thought it was a penalty.
"I don't want to criticise him too much because he is one of my favourites – I like to work with him and I think he is a good communicator.
"He gets a lot of stuff bang on. But (this time) I thought he got a lot wrong."
Stoke forward Jonathan Walters, who came off the bench to head home the 76th-minute winner, felt there was something in the notion of one penalty leading to the other.
The Republic of Ireland international said: "I don't think he would have given the second one if he hadn't given the first. It is probably a soft one, but that happens."
On the Shawcross incident, he said: "If he is going to give that first one, he has to give a penalty every game, probably four or five times, because that goes on.
"It happens to (Stoke striker) Peter Crouch every single game - he gets ragged all over the place and doesn't get anything because he is so big.
"So if that is going to be given against Ryan, you should probably get three or four a game for Peter."
