Anelka to appeal against red card

The Football Association has confirmed that no disciplinary action will be taken against Ashley Cole or Edu following the mêlée at the end of Arsenal's weekend victory against Manchester City.

However, the City striker Nicolas Anelka is appealing against a red card for his part in the scuffle which followed his late goal.

Cole and Anelka battled for the ball, while Edu also waded into the fray, but the referee, Alan Wiley, has confirmed to the FA that he saw the entire incident and no further action will be taken.

The City manager, Kevin Keegan, insisted after his side's 2-1 defeat last Sunday that he would not be launching an appeal as it was a "waste of time". However, there has evidently been a rethink after Cole and Edu were only booked for their parts in the incident. The FA's video advisory panel will now look at Anelka's appeal. The FA's website confirmed: "His appeal was received by the FA on Tuesday and will now be considered by the video advisory panel."

The panel has cleared the Chelsea midfielder Alexis Nicolas of any wrong-doing after he appeared to charge into Scarborough's Stephen Capper in their recent FA Cup fourth-round tie.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has already been charged by the FA with violent conduct for allegedly elbowing the Scarborough defender Mark Hotte during the same match and could face a three-match ban.

City are hoping to save their leading striker from a similar punishment, presumably because they feel he was harshly treated in comparison with Cole.

Indeed, the Arsenal full-back admitted after the incident, when he and Anelka shoved each other in a row over the ball, that they should have been dealt with in the same way by referee Wiley.

Anelka will at least not miss his side's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Manchester United if they win tonight's replay against Tottenham.

However, if he loses his appeal, as seems likely, he would instead miss Premiership games against Bolton and Chelsea, as well as either any FA Cup sixth-round tie or a League game against United.