The Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said that if the United manager Sir Alex Ferguson questioned the number of penalties that his side received at home this season, then he should be looking at his own team.

Mancini has pointed out to the several diving incidents involving the former Aston Villa winger Ashley Young. Mancini has said that Ashley Young was not diving, but swimming in the box a number of occasions last season. However, Ferguson has not mentioned these and has only pointed the fact that City have received more penalties than United at home this season.

Manchester United will be taking on Manchester City during the weekend in the battle between the first and second placed teams in the Premier league. United have the opportunity to open a six-point advantage at the top of the table, while City can close the three-point advantage of United with a victory. As a result, stakes are running high between the two clubs and Mancini has said that it will be an extremely tough encounter on Sunday. United will be coming to this encounter on the back of a good run of form, while City are yet to reach the heights of last season in terms of form.

“I remember very well last year when Young was swimming in the box. Four or five times in the last 10 games and no-one said anything. Fergie is clever for this,” said the City manager Mancini in response to the statement given by Ferguson. “If we got that number of penalty kicks, there’d be an inquiry in the House of Commons,” said Ferguson in his pre-match press conference. However, the statistical reports state that both teams have received equal number of penalties since the start of the 2010-11 season. United have a three-point advantage over City.