Twitter accuses Ashley Young of diving … again

Ashley Young has a reputation for diving, and he was at it again at Old Trafford today.

Manchester United went into half-time 1-0 up against Crystal Palace … but it has been a controversial decision that has given them the lead.

Ashley Young has been criticised recently for his poor performances this season so far, but one thing he cannot be knocked for is his diving.

When it comes to taking a fall, as much as Young would protest his innocence against such accusations, he is certainly a pro at taking a tumble.

And poor Kagisho Dikgacoi has learnt all about it at Old Trafford today.

First of all Young found himself punished for a blatant dive out on the left. Advancing on goal he cut back inside onto his right foot - before inexplicably kicking Dikgacoi in his shin Robert Pires style and tumbling to the ground.

The dive was so blatant that even United fans in the stand looked embarrassed - and Ashley Young was rightly booked for yet another moment of cheating in his career.

The second was certainly more of a grey area, but was also much more costly for Palace and a fuming Ian Holloway.

This time it appears there was some contact, at which point Young hurled himself to the ground as if he had been lassoed from behind.

It was certainly a decision that could have gone either way, but once it was decided it was a foul it had to be a red-card for the unfortunate South African international.

Was it a red card? Was it a foul?

It is certainly not a resounding decision either way, in fact it goes down to opinion.

And in my opinion, it was a dive.

Young never felt enough contact to force him to the ground yet, considering the history of Young, it was no surprise to see him tumble down once again.

In fact, it could even be argued that the original foul actually occurred outside the box.

Young came off in the second half for Belgian substitute Adnan Januzaj as Twitter ballooned in its response to the controversy.

It is a matter of opinion, and in my opinion Young went down far too easily on both occasions - and has to clean up his act before the damage is irreparable to his reputation.