Arsenal were never in the game, says Anderlecht manager

Besnik Hasi suggested last night that his Anderlecht team might not have been given a key refereeing decision just before Arsenal's winning goal because of their nationality.

Hasi was adamant that Steven Defour was fouled in the build-up to Lukas Podolski’s winner and could not believe that referee Carlos Velasco Carballo did not award his team a free-kick.

“Apparently when you are a little country these kind of fouls are not to your advantage,” said Anderlecht manager. “Before the second goal there as a huge foul on Duffour - the referee has to see that.”

Hasi also felt that his team had out-played Arsenal for 88 minutes of the match.

“The performance of my team was nearly perfect, except in the last three minutes,” he said. “We should have won that game. Arsenal were never in the game until the end. We tried to score the second goal, and when you don’t get it at this level you pay.

“There was a lack of concentrating. We have a very young group, and maybe we are not mature enough in these kind of situations. We had to score the second goal, and when the referee doesn’t whistle for clear fouls it makes it more difficult.”