Rafa attacks Bolton's tactics

The Reds have had a tense relationship with the Trotters since Rafa's first domestic loss as manager against Sam Allardyce's men. And the Reds' boss was in no mood to tone down his comments before today's fixture, commenting that it was important for the referee to be conscious of Bolton's dubious physical tactics.

Rafa said, "Each player or each team decides how they want to win, and you can't criticise them for that, but the rules are the same for everybody. When you play against Bolton you must say to the referee: 'Be aware of each throw-in, each foul or each free-kick you award because it makes a big difference if the decisions are right or wrong.'"

He added, "Diouf and Nicolas Anelka are good players but one of them is really proud of diving and I don't like that. If we are killing the players who dive and someone says he is proud to dive because it is good for him and his team, then I feel we cannot support this. The referee must be aware of this."

"I don't think Bolton could play the way they do in Spain. At every free-kick, every corner, every throw-in they commit what in Spain would be a foul, but here it's not. They know this and they take advantage of all these things."