Wayne Rooney laughs off blame for Vincent Kompany's red

Wayne Rooney has dismissed claims that he was the reason behind Vincent Kompany's sending off during a fierce FA Cup encounter between Manchester City and Manchester United.

The Red Devils striker was accused by City boss Roberto Mancini of convincing referee Chris Foy to show the defender a straight red card for a controversial tackle on Nani 12 minutes into the third-round fixture at the Etihad Stadium.

The England international tweeted: "Funny how people think I got kompany sent off. Im not ref. I didnt give red card. But it was a clear red card. 2 footed tackle."

The 26-year-old's teammate Rio Ferdinand also echoed the striker's sentiments, claiming that Kompany's challenge was a sending-off offence.

"By the way how can there be any debate about the red card yesterday??" Ferdinand wrote on Twitter. "You leave the ground with a #2footTackle = Red card."

Sir Alex Ferguson's side overcame their North West rivals with a 3-2 victory and will face Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Anfield later this month.