Warnock fury at Nuno’s snub...
NEIL WARNOCK slammed rival boss Nuno Espirito Santo for his exuberant post-match celebrations as Cardiff missed two stoppagetime penalties to hand Wolves victory on Friday.
Ruben Neves’ glorious freekick was the difference between the two sides and moved Wolves nine points clear at the top of the Championship, but Cardiff were left to rue misses from Gary Madine and Junior Hoilett.
Nuno joined in the wild celebrations on the final whistle and Warnock was unimpressed with the Wolves manager’s failure to shake hands.
“I don’t accept it at all,” he said. “They’ve had a great win and it showed a lack of class.
“I went to shake his hand and he ran off. If that’s how they’re taught in Portugal then fair enough, but not in Britain.
“I don’t want to speak to him. He can say anything after the game – I’m talking about when the whistle goes, what he should do, the etiquette, the manners, the class.
“They’ve won the game. They should shake your hand and say unlucky or something, not run off like that and rub your noses in it. A disgrace.
“The players are all disappointed. It shows how far we’ve come, playing against the socalled best team in the Championship and we more than held our own.”
Warnock’s side had the better of a goalless but action-packed first half, with Sol Bamba heading wide from 10 yards out and both Kenneth Zohore and Joe Bennett sending efforts just past the post.
Diogo Jota stung Neil Etheridge’s gloves at the other end, while John Ruddy was forced into action to push Yanic Wildschut’s dipping free-kick past the post.
The league leaders began to assert themselves more after the break, with Leo Bonatini striking the upright from a very tight angle after rounding the keeper.
Neves broke the deadlock on 67 minutes with a superb curling effort from 25 yards, easily clearing the Cardiff wall and finding the top left corner of the net.
In stoppage time, the game reached an astonishing climax, first when Conor Coady bundled over Anthony Pilkington in the box and Madine saw his penalty well saved by Ruddy, diving low to his left.
Ivan Cavaleiro then lunged in recklessly on Aron Gunnarsson, only for Hoilett to smash his effort against the bar.
Nuno felt his side had done enough to deserve the win and was apologised for his celebrations as the moment seemed to get the better of him.
“It’s nothing to do with etiquette, nothing to do with manners,” he said.
“I’ve been involved in football many years. I had the chance to speak with one of his [Warnock’s] assistants and he said, ‘In Britain we have this habit of shaking hands after a game’.
“I understand, I’m sorry. I will try to avoid it, but last year I was coaching in the Champions League and I’m very proud of coaching in the Championship and nobody can doubt my education, me being respectful.
“I’m sorry, I say it publicly. I must adapt, I will try to, but nobody can ever say I’m not a respectful person. My aim is to improve each game.
“Now we celebrate because we deserve it, and we go back to work because we have Derby on Wednesday.”