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After a dramatic victory in Sunday's match against London's Arsenal club, West Ham's head coach Alan Pardew apologized to Arsene Wenger outside the field.
The latter seemed offended by A. Pardew's enthusiastic expression when Marlon Harewood scored a goal. After the match, A. Wenger even refused to shake hands with the West Ham coach.
In a post-match interview A. Pardew mostly talked about this incident: "I apologize if I offended Arsene. It was nothing personal, I was just happy about the goal. It is regrettable because it was a tense match and we experienced a lot of pressure. I just enjoyed the goal, that's all."
"It seems Arsene didn't like it, probably rightly so. It was disappointment, nothing personal. Nothing was said. Maybe he got upset about a couple of decisions. We wanted to upset the Arsenal team, we wanted to win," continued West Ham's strategist.
A. Pardew also added that he hopes to reconcile with A. Wenger: "I would like to sort things out. It's not good for the game's image. Emotions were running high, but there was nothing dangerous or serious. It happens as goals come in the final minutes of the match."
This altercation between A. Wenger and A. Pardew is likely not the only incident noted in referee Rob Styles' report, as in the 38th minute of the match a coin thrown by West Ham fans from the stands hit Arsenal forward Robin van Persie. After being examined by the team doctors, the player continued the match.
