Ali Al-Habsi: "I do not cheat"

Goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi has responded to Arsene Wenger's claims that he deliberately wasted time during Wigan Athletic's 2-1 win over Arsenal on Monday night by saying that he 'does not cheat'.

The Gunners boss called the 30-year-old stopper "disrespectful" after he was repeatedly slow to restart the play from goal kicks. However, Al-Habsi is adamant that he did nothing wrong.

He told The Sun: "When I play football I do not cheat. I used a tactic to control and contain the game.

"It's normal when you play in big-pressure matches to control the game to take the pressure off your team.

"It's very important for me as a goalkeeper and my teammates in defence to do this in order to help our side.

"The ref is there to see everything and if he's happy then so am I. I have to do it for my team."

Al-Habsi was cautioned by referee Andre Marriner during second-half stoppage time.