Warnock anger over 'smiling' referee Poll

Neil Warnock wrote a poem to commemorate yesterday's FA Cup semi-final on the theme of David and Goliath. As someone brought up on the "bread and marge" side of Sheffield, Warnock has little time for Rudyard Kipling's If, so beloved of public schools with its line about treating the twin impostors of defeat and victory with equanimity. In that part of Yorkshire, winning, or at least surviving, is all that matters.

In the aftermath of defeat, Warnock spent an hour waiting outside the referee's room to ask Graham Poll how he could have failed to spot Sol Campbell's foul on Wayne Allison that led to the Fredrik Ljungberg goal which guaranteed Arsenal's third successive appearance in an FA Cup final. The fact that Poll had collided with Michael Tonge midway through the attack could only have added to the United manager's frustration.

On television shortly after the game ended, Warnock was lacerating: "I shouldn't say what I feel, but he was their best midfielder in the move for the goal. He loved every minute of it; he smiled so much he obviously enjoyed that performance."

An hour later, Warnock was calmer. "I would have preferred to have lost two or 3-0 than lose to a goal like that. I don't like to see referees smile when it's hurting for me. It was ironic that the fourth official was Alan Wiley, who did us an injustice in the semi-final of the Worthington Cup [for not sending off Chris Kirkland when the Liverpool goalkeeper handled outside his area]. When controversial decisions cost matches, I believe referees should be punished and hurt by missing games."

That defeat at Anfield ended with Warnock accusing Stéphane Henchoz of spitting in his direction after the final whistle and it would be a pity if that is all that is remembered of the Blades' season. Sheffield is used to double disappointments; 10 years ago Wednesday lost to Arsenal in both League and FA Cup finals and, should United follow this up by failing in the play-off semi-finals as well, it may be too much to bear. "Whatever happens, it's been a great season, bloody hell," Warnock smiled. "You can work a lot with a little. This is the best team I've ever had; I've waited all my career for something like this."

In Tonge, Robert Page, Phil Jagielka and especially Michael Brown, Warnock has "more than a little". At Old Trafford they performed well against one of the FA Cup's great sides.

Since Sunderland overcame Norwich at Hillsborough in 1992, these fixtures have run more or less to form but, with Patrick Vieira forced off through injury and Arsène Wenger having to introduce Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal sweated more than they would have liked before encountering Manchester United on Wednesday.

Wenger made light of that team's destruction of Newcastle. "Newcastle had a completely off day and that can happen during a season." Asked if this tie might affect Arsenal's championship decider, Wenger replied: "I don't like words like 'if'. Journalists like them but we deal with reality." On Wednesday at Highbury reality, in all its forms, will have to be faced.