Fuming O'Neill blasts John Terry tackle on James Milner
Terry (right) was only booked for his challenge on Milner (on the ground)
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill was left seething after a challenge by Chelsea's John Terry on James Milner in the Blues' 3-0 FA Cup semi-final win.
Terry escaped with a booking for a second-half challenge where he caught the Villa midfielder on the calf.
"James is exceptionally lucky his career is intact. It should have been a straight red card," said O'Neill.
"It was a horrendous challenge on an England team-mate. I have spoken to the doctor who says he's a very lucky boy."
Referee Howard Webb, who will be England's representative at the World Cup, was well placed to see the incident but only deemed the challenge worthy of a yellow card.
"He's 15 yards outside the box and going away from goal. It was a pointless challenge," said O'Neill.
"But he made it and therefore the consequences of it should have been a red card.
"It was an obvious decision. You didn't need four replays to see it."
The Terry challenge was not the only thing to upset O'Neill.
Just five weeks after seeing Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic remain on the pitch in the Carling Cup final after a foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor, Villa were on the receiving end of another contentious decision - again involving a challenge on Agbonlahor.
But unlike in the Carling Cup final, this time Villa did not get a penalty when the striker was brought down by Jon Mikel Obi, who was in all likelihood the last man as it seemed Paulo Ferreira was unlikely to get across and cover.
"I am sitting here five weeks on talking about another major incident," said O'Neill.
"It is incontestable. Even the Chelsea players knew, you could tell by their reaction it was a penalty.
"The referee has chosen to ignore it because of the possible consequences.
"The referee bottled it against Manchester United and we have had the same today."
Despite Chelsea moving one step closer to the possibility of their first ever League and Cup double, manager Carlo Ancelotti was refusing to get carried away after the match.
"We are happy to be in the final of the FA Cup," said the Italian, who is in his first season in English football.
"We have five games in the Premier League. We have to look at it game by game and prepare well. We have to pay attention to every game.
"I don't like to speak of 'ifs.' If is not really true. We are very close to winning but we haven't won anything yet."
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