The Times:
"IT’S GOOD to talk." That was clearly Mike Riley’s philosophy as he sought to take the heat out of the early stages of the match. His attitude was clear as early as the 45th second when Ashley Cole was late with a challenge that could have brought a yellow card. Sensibly, Riley spoke to Cole and took the same action five minutes later when Wayne Rooney was careless with his tackling.
Riley’s approach brought a sense of calm to the opening 15 minutes and when Edu and Ruud van Nistelrooy clashed he wisely took note of their sporting reaction to each other and again spoke rather than reached for his cards. The diplomatic approach brought benefits and Riley only showed the yellow card five times in a fiercely contested encounter, although he was generous with Gary Neville in the 23rd minute.
There were two big decisions and he got them both right. Rio Ferdinand’s collision with Fredrik Ljungberg in the eighteenth minute was just that — two players coming together. No foul and thus no dismissal. The 71st-minute penalty for Sol Campbell’s foul on Rooney was a difficult decision because the forward made the most of the slight contact but the laws do not require the referee to judge the degree of contact.
Up until that penalty, Riley had had almost nothing to do in the second half and in refereeing circles we believe that the mood of the second half reflects the referee’s success (or otherwise) in dealing with the emotions of the first half.
Riley’s control of this pulsating match confirmed his position as the country’s top official, fully justifying the decision of Keith Hackett, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited general manager, to appoint him to the game. Amid all of the big decisions and talking points, Riley deserves great credit for his contribution to a fine game. By not reaching for his cards early but having the confidence to talk, he ensured that there were 22 players on the field at the end of a game that was fiercely contested but never spiteful.