After a week in the firing line Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that the 'hatchet men' used by other teams are more of problem in football than those who dive to deceive the referee.

After a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday, he has accused other teams of adopting "anti-football" tactics.

United came from behind after Andrey Arshavin had given the visitors the lead at Old Trafford.

Arsenal were arguably the better team but were responsible for their own downfall when Manuel Almunia tripped Wayne Rooney to concede a penalty before Abou Diaby inexplicably headed into his own net.

Wenger was then sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle after Robin van Persie's late strike was disallowed for offside.

That capped a week of perceived injustice for Wenger after Eduardo was charged by Uefa over his alleged dive to win a penalty in the Champions League win over Celtic.

The Frenchman, though, compared Eduardo's behaviour favourably with the tough tackling adopted by other sides.

"I have seen a player who plays on the pitch only to make fouls," he said. "For me, this is a point that is more urgent than diving.

"The players who are never punished, who get out of the game without a yellow card. I think it is more anti-football than a player who did what Eduardo did.

"Look at how many deliberate fouls some players get away with. That's a bigger problem because it cuts the flow of the game. And people pay to see football, not free-kicks."

Wenger, meanwhile, is set to receive an apology on Monday from the Premier Game Match Officials Board for his sending-off, which League Managers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan described as "completely out of context".