Nasty Hull just didn't want to play football, says Manuel Almunia

Hitting back: Manuel Almunia claims some Hull players deliberately stopped Arsenal from playing
11 April 2012

Manuel Almunia has accused Hull of "not knowing how to play football" after Arsenal earned victory in controversial circumstances at Emirates Stadium.

Samir Nasri was lucky to avoid a red card after treading on Richard Garcia's foot in an incident which sparked a ruck involving more than 15 players.

Almunia saved Geovanni's second-half penalty with only Denilson's brilliant free-kick separating the sides but the Gunners sealed a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Eduardo and Abou Diaby.

Hull winger Stephen Hunt was involved in several altercations with Arsenal players while heated words were exchanged as both sides headed for the tunnel at half-time.

Spanish goalkeeper Almunia believes his team-mates were only reacting to provocation and said: "It is not nice to see players fighting each other. Everybody has character and when somebody touches some part of your body, you react and that happened on the pitch.

"When the opponent is just making fouls and stopping us play football, everybody reacts, it is a natural thing for a footballer.

"There were two or three players that tried to disturb our game and stay between us and try to stop us playing our best football.

"It is OK, if they don't know how to play football it is not our problem.

"When it is not all the team, but one or two players who are very nasty, you react. I did it sometimes in the game with Hunt.

"This is football. I don't have anything against him but it is not nice to play against these kinds of players."

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