Pardew calls for FA to look into van Persie elbow

NEWCASTLE (AFP) - Robin van Persie was accused of elbowing Yohan Cabaye as Manchester United climbed to second place in the Premier League after a bad-tempered 3-0 victory at Newcastle.

The Football Association (FA) will await referee Howard Webb's report before deciding whether to take any action following the alleged incident, which occurred late on in a comfortable win for Sir Alex Ferguson's side on Sunday.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew urged the FA to scrutinise the actions of Manchester United forward van Persie, who has history with the Tyneside club following an angry confrontation with goalkeeper Tim Krul last season when he was playing for Arsenal.

The sanction for violent conduct, should it be proved in this case, is normally a three-game ban.