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Arsène Wenger launched a spirited defence of his Arsenal players yesterday, after a determined late win over Fulham was blighted by an accusation of persistent diving. Lawrie Sanchez, the Fulham manager, claimed that a lively first half contained “three blatant acts of simulation by Arsenal” that should have resulted in bookings by Phil Dowd, the referee.

His mood was not improved by Arsenal’s equaliser coming from a penalty, after Carlos Bocanegra had bodychecked Kolo Touré.

The accusations were directed at Alexander Hleb and Robin van Persie, but were not helped by television replays that showed a penalty-area challenge on Hleb to be a clear foul by Chris Baird, the Fulham defender, missed by the referee, and the second-half penalty to be entirely justified.

“I was at a meeting with Arsène Wenger and the other Premier League managers on Tuesday, in which Keith Hackett told us that simulation was a nono and offenders would be booked,” Sanchez said. “Then they have three men go down and nothing gets done. It was no surprise to me when the fourth one was given.”

Wenger’s view was equally trenchant. “I disapprove of simulation and I always have,” he said. “Hleb is 100 per cent certain that he should have had a penalty anyway.”