Martin O'Neill reflects on critical moment in 2010 League Cup final: 'The referee succumbed to pressure from Alex Ferguson'

During the League Cup final in 2010, Aston Villa faced off against Manchester United at Wembley. Just three minutes into the game, Nemanja Vidic brought down Gabriel Agbonlahor in the box, resulting in a penalty kick," O'Neill recalled during his appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, sponsored by Sky Bet.

With Agbonlahor bearing down on goal and Vidic the last man for Manchester United, a red card seemed the most likely outcome. That, however, didn't transpire, with the Serbian staying on the pitch despite comitting the foul. For O'Neill, there's a clear reason as to why.

Martin O'Neill believes Phil Dowd "bottled" sending off Vidic

"We get a penalty and think the ref is going to send him off, it’s a sending off offence, but no – the referee, Phil Dowd, not only didn’t send him off, but didn’t even book him. Vidic got booked later on.

“I know it’s Manchester United, it’s Sir Alex Ferguson, and it’s not a done deal after three minutes, but we’d have had a better chance with 11 versus 10. The referee bottled it. He bottled it because Alex Ferguson was the manager. That’s my view.”

While James Milner managed to put Aston Villa 1-0 up from the penalty spot in the fifth minute, Manchester United quickly hit back through Michael Owen in the 12th. Wayne Rooney then scored the winner in the second half, ending Aston Villa's hopes of a trophy under the Northern Irishman.

O'Neill only stayed at Villa Park for another six months, before departing just before the start of the 2010/11 season. That cup final was the final opportunity he had has a manager to win a trophy, having proved so successful at both Leicester City and Celtic earlier on his career.

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Aston Villa are still waiting for a major honour 15 years after that cup final, too, though they have appeared in a League Cup and FA Cup final in the intervening years.

In FourFourTwo's view, Dowd should certainly have sent off Vidic in the opening stages of that game, though the referee's decision might have rested more on how early on it was, rather than the influence of Sir Alex Ferguson.