Sympathy For Darren

United beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates on Tuesday night to reach the Champions League final, but celebrations were soured after Darren Fletcher's red card means the Scot will miss the match.

Fletcher was dismissed on 75 minutes after Italian referee Roberto Rosetti adjudged the midfielder had brought down Cesc Fabregas inside the Reds’ penalty area. TV commentators and pundits all agreed the decision was harsh, while Sir Alex said Fletcher had been “terribly unlucky”.

“You can see the ball has moved in a different direction, away from Cesc Fabregas,” the boss told ITV.

“I think Darren’s been terribly unlucky and unfortunately we can’t appeal the decision.

“The referee’s probably one of the best in Europe but unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about it.

“You saw his performance tonight and in all the big games over the last few years Darren’s always been key for us. I couldn’t tell you what my team would be in the final – it depends on who the opponents are, of course – but you’d have thought Darren would have figured in it.”

Wayne Rooney admitted the mood in the dressing room after the final whistle had been affected by Fletcher's dismissal.

“Everyone’s gutted for Darren,” Rooney told MUTV. “I think he won the ball, too. To miss a a big game like the Champions League final is heart-breaking.

“But we’re all proud of this achievement. When we set out at the start of the season our aim was to retain the trophy and now we’re so close.”

UEFA stands by Fletcher red card
Manchester United's Darren Fletcher will miss the Champions League final after Uefa confirmed that his red card against Arsenal will stand.

Fletcher was given a straight red card for an adjudged foul on Cesc Fabregas in the box as United won the second leg of the Champions League semi-final 3-1.

Uefa has confirmed that no appeal can be made against the decision, no matter what the referee says in his report.

United will face Chelsea or Barcelona in the final in Rome on 27 May.

"Manchester United have the right to protest the decision within 24 hours of the match," said a Uefa spokesman.

"However, the protest is only admissible if the referee made an error and mistakenly identified and cautioned or sent off the wrong player.

"There cannot be an appeal against a factual decision taken by the referee and there is nothing to indicate that the referee made a mistake in identifying Fletcher as the player he penalised last night."