DAVID O'Leary got away with a disgraceful piece of unsportsmanship when he admitted his joy at benefiting from an injustice.

Everton felt bad enough when Milan Baros' handball was not seen before he scored the first of Aston Villa's four goals over Christmas.

But that didn't stop O'Leary rubbing their noses in it.

You can't blame him for being happy. But he went too far when he showed just how little sportsmanship counts for anything.

He said: "If it was handball, I'm delighted because we deserve a break."

There's something distasteful about hearing a manager express such pleasure because the rules of the game have not been applied correctly.

I doubt it will stop him having his usual moan the next time he feels a bad refereeing decision has gone against him. When it does, he can expect similar sympathy to that which he showed Everton.