Ex-QPR striker Djibril Cisse has fired back at Wayne Rooney’s accusation that his side “rolled over” for Manchester City in the dramatic 2012 title decider.
The French striker is insisting that the claim is disrespectful and unfair to him and his QPR teammates.
Djibril Cisse has defended celebrating with Samir Nasr when QPR lost the game to Man City[/caption]
Cisse scored on that day as City looked like they were in trouble before recovering[/caption]
On May 13, 2012, City snatched the Premier League title from Manchester United’s grasp with a last-minute strike from Sergio Aguero, sealing a 3-2 win over QPR at the Etihad.
While City fans were celebrating, accusations began swirling that QPR eased off once their Premier League survival was confirmed via results elsewhere — with some pointing the finger at goalkeeper Paddy Kenny and striker Cisse for their part in the drama.
Rooney was among the critics, suggesting QPR’s defense was lackluster and even taking issue with Cisse’s post-match celebrations with City’s Samir Nasri.
Ronney said: “It’s strange. QPR kicked the ball straight back to City after their second goal and Cisse was celebrating with City players.
“It just doesn’t sit right.”
But Cisse, speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo on behalf of Poker Strategy, hit back hard, denying any suggestion of a soft approach from his team.
He said: “I was celebrating with Samir Nasri, my friend of 15 years.
“I didn’t care about Man City — I was just happy for him and relieved that we stayed up.”
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The Frenchman was crucial in QPR’s survival, scoring six goals in eight starts after joining in January.
In the Etihad clash, QPR were leading 2-1 until Aguero’s last-gasp winner, and Cisse insists there was no intention to hand City the title.
Cisse added: “If we’d wanted them to win, we would’ve let them score 4-0 or 5-0, but we didn’t.
“We fought hard, and we had a strong team out there. It wasn’t our fault United lost the title. They dropped points all season.”
Cisse’s response puts the blame squarely back on Manchester United’s inconsistent form throughout the campaign — not on QPR’s fight to survive, which included defending heroically despite being down to 10 men.
