Wenger sees penalty 'dive'

Arsene Wenger stunned the football world last night when he SAW Matt Holland earn a penalty for Charlton, which he then suggested had been won with a dive.

The Arsenal manager, famous for selective blindness, hinted strongly that the usuallyhonest Charlton captain had cheated to give his side the advantage in a pulsating 1-1 Premiership draw.

Wenger said: 'If I was the manager of Charlton I would be very happy. I saw it and it was nice. There was no water underneath, but it was nice. There was no contact and, unless the rules of football change, it should not be a penalty.'

He even suggested that Robert Pires was more deserving of the penalty he won so disgracefully for Arsenal against Portsmouth last month.

He added: 'I don't rage today because that was harsh against Portsmouth. But you can't compare. Robert was touched on his run. Maybe he made more of it than he should, but there was at least contact.'

Thierry Henry, who equalised after Paolo Di Canio had scored from the spot, said he 'did not think it was a penalty'.