LEE DIXON, the Arsenal full back, admitted yesterday that he deliberately set out to frustrate David Ginola in Wednesday night's bruising League Cup quarter final at Highbury but offered no sympathy to the Newcastle winger for the sending off that sparked an amazing touch line bust up.

Ginola, who was marked skin tight and tackled ferociously by Dixon throughout the 66 minutes he was on the pitch, was shown the red card for elbowing Dixon in the face and will be suspended for three matches later this month.

While Dixon was out cold, Arsenal manager Bruce Rioch and Newcastle coach Terry McDermott were involved in a furious confrontation on the touchline.

Police officers and stewards had to break up an ugly melee watched by millions on television as well as a near 38,000 crowd in a game won 2-0 by Arsenal.

Rioch accused McDermott of making a nasty remark and, although Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan called it "handbags at five paces stuff", the English FA mounted an immediate inquiry and will quiz the two protagonists before considering whether charges of bringing the game into, disrepute should be brought.

But Dixon was in no mood to forgive old adversary Ginola, who had labelled him and other Arsenal players "louts" in between two European Cup Winners' Cup encounters with the Frenchman's former club, Paris St Germain, nearly two years ago.

Dixon, who was given the runaround by Ginola as Newcastle beat Arsenal 2-0 at St James' Park in the Premiership last month, said "I still don't know what happened with the sending off. I felt a pain in the side of my face and then must have just blacked out for a while. The next thing I knew was our physio Gary Lewin picking me up."

That was the prelude to the touch line row between Rioch and McDermott, although the police have told match referee Gerald Ashby who booked both Ginola and Arsenal's Dutch winger Glenn Helder for "diving" that they do not intend to take the matter further.

Dixon and Ginola seemed to have patched up their differences 12 days ago, but Dixon claimed there was no opportunity for a handshake before the Highbury clash last night and, when Ginola made his premature exit, he was reported to have slapped the tunnel wall in frustration, saying "They just won't let me play football."

Meanwhile, Leeds United, winners of the League Cup in 1968, have been made favourites to win this season's competition after drawing First Division opponents in the two legged semi finals next month. They will play the winners of the replay between Birmingham City and Norwich, while the other semi final is an all Premiership affair between Arsenal and Aston Villa.