Manchester United aren't too big to pay the penalty - get it, Fergie?

Now forgive me if I'm wrong but as far as I can see, the laws of the game should remain consistent no matter which two teams are contesting a match, be it Arsenal v Chelsea or Nuneaton Burough v Tamworth.
Whilst this might seem obvious to you, apparently it does not appear to be the case amongst football's brightest minds and most influential figureheads.

Let me take you back to the 2006 Champions League final, Arsenal v Barcelona, in what had been built up as a clash of the two exponents of the "beautiful game". Things took a sour turn for the Gunners when Jens Lehmann committed a foul on Samuel Eto'o just outside the box after 18 minutes and, as the last man, he was duly given a red card.

As was plain from the replays, Lehmann had committed a foul and the laws dictated that he had to go. From their reactions the players knew it, Lehmann knew it and the referee knew it. However, this outcome infuriated Sky analyst and football 'expert' Andy Gray, who launched into a tirade against the referee and incessantly spouted the comment that the red card had "ruined the game as a spectacle".

To return to my earlier point, no matter what the size of the match, the laws of the game must remain consistent. For this not to be the case would be to turn the entire sport into farce.
Why has this re-entered my mind now? Two comments over the last week have caused my memory to stir. Firstly, Alan Green on Radio 5 Live made the observation that refs were reluctant to book players in big semi-finals so that they would all be available for the end-of-season showpiece. Allegations that this was an initiative headed by UEFA were unsubstantiated, but the point was raised nonetheless.