Players who dive are cheats and should be sent off, says fuming Crystal Palace chief Steve Parish

Crystal Palace co-chairman Steve Parish has accused Manchester United winger Ashley Young of cheating and believes divers should be shown a red card after seeing his side lose in controversial fashion to Manchester United on Saturday.

Palace were furious at the behaviour of Young, who has come under heavy criticism over his gamesmanship in the past.

Young was shown a yellow card by referee Jon Moss for falling over and claiming a penalty after deliberately causing contact with Palace midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi in the area during the first half. The pair collided just before the break again when the score was still 0-0 and this time a spotkick was awarded even though minor contact was made outside the box.

Dikgacoi was sent off for a professional foul and Palace ended up losing 2-0 following Robin van Persie’s successful penalty.

Parish, who watched the game in the executive box at Old Trafford, was so furious he wrote an email to BBC’s 606 radio programme calling on greater punishment for players like Young.

He said: “If preventing a goal-scoring opportunity is a straight red then trying to create one by cheating should be a straight red also. The only player in the incidents that was honest was Kagisho Dikgacoi and he was sent off and banned for the next match.

“Ashley Young’s dive and the appeal before put pressure on the ref to give a subsequent penalty that was certainly outside the area and probably wasn’t even a foul.

“Ashley Young has a yellow card and three points and we have no points and one fewer player to pick from for the next game. [The incident] might have cost us a point that might keep us up. [There] needs to by some momentum behind a straight red for a dive.”

Young came under heavy criticism for similar antics in April last year, which prompted former manager Sir Alex Ferguson to have ‘a word with him’ over his conduct. Ferguson’s replacement, David Moyes, admitted after the Palace game that he also wasn’t happy and hinted that he would be holding talks with the winger.

Moyes said: “I don’t want my players diving. It’s not what I want.

“Dikgacoi definitely throws his leg out but Ashley put his leg into his leg. I don’t like the rule where every time it is the last man it means it is [a red card]. I thought it was harsh.”