Who is the mystery soup chucker?

Of all the weighty questions facing the Football Association today, by far the most important is: who threw the soup at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson?

All the main suspects went to ground this morning, refusing to own up to the offence - or even clarify the flavour. First reports suggested pea soup, but tomato has not been ruled out, and there have even been suggestions that Ferguson was actually hit by something a lot more solid ... like a sandwich.

As yet United's manager - normally happy to accuse Arsenal of most things - has not entered football's hottest debate, which was sparked by his unexpected change of clothes before yesterday's post-match television interview.

Here Standard Sport's Wayne Veysey guides you through the usual suspects

Sol Campbell

Suspicion immediately falls on him because he shares a surname with a soup manufacturer. And his blood would have been brought to the boil following the penalty awarded for his mistimed tackle on Wayne Rooney. Campbell rarely loses his temper but a carton of steaming broth coupled with the sight of Fergie in his puffa jacket might have been too hard to resist.

Jens Lehmann

The German who could start a fight in an empty soup kitchen is known for losing the plot in the heat of the moment. He might have mistaken Fergie for Oliver Kahn, his sworn enemy and rival for the national goalkeeper's jersey. Would have been antagonised by the penalty awarded to Wayne Rooney - which Ruud van Nistelrooy slotted effortless past him - and by his first league defeat in Arsenal colours.

Thierry Henry

Frustrated by a rare lacklustre performance and whispers that he fails to rise to big occasions might have been a recipe for disaster for the striker. When he loses it, he really loses it. But Henry is the king of cool and lobbing pea (or tomato) soup at Fergie is not be his style. Would obviously have preferred French onion.