Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel says Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic should have been sent-off during yesterday's Carling Cup final defeat.

Controversy surrounded a penalty awarded to Villa in the fourth minute when United defender Vidic brought down Gabriel Agbonlahor.

James Milner scored from the spot but referee Phil Dowd failed to give Vidic even a yellow card, even though he was the last defender and Agbonlahor was through on goal.

Friedel said: "We started the game really well but we have seen the penalty incident now and it really should have been a sending-off.

"You feel really hard done by after you have viewed it afterwards because you would have liked to be playing against 10 men.

"We feel a bit hard done by that we didn't play with a man advantage after that, especially on a pitch as heavy as that and cutting up like that.

"With 10 men, they would have really tired towards the end but it wasn't to be."

Villa defender Carlos Cuellar echoed Friedel's sentiments and said: "For me it is a penalty and a sending-off. I think everyone says the same.

"You saw the sending-off of (Juliano) Belletti of Chelsea for something similar on Saturday. I think this was even more clear.

"But different referees make different decisions and you never know what would have happened had we had the extra man."