Nani Controversial Goal

Tottenham Hotspur keeper Gomes thinks he's setting himself up for dead ball situation when Nani realizes there was no free kick called by the referee and slots the ball home.

It seems that Manchester United was trying to get a penalty call on the previous play and then Nani handled the ball when he fell down, but the referee didn't call anything. Gomes thought he did and was beaten by the quick thinking Nani. United won the match 2-0.

But it was the nature of Nani’s decisive second goal six minutes from time that will live longest in the memory from this match. The Portugal forward kicked the ball into an unguarded net after Gomes had placed in on the floor, expecting to be given a free-kick for handball. Referee Mark Clattenburg consulted with his linesman who had flagged for an infringement, but allowed the goal to stand and was immediately surrounded by furious Spurs players, who continued their protests at the final whistle. “It was handball, he (Nani) put his hand on the ball and dragged the ball. He should have been booked,” Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said.

“How can (the referee) give the goal, he’s handled the ball and it was a free-kick.

“Gomes puts the ball down to take a free-kick. It’s obvious. Why would he stand there and leave the ball there after he saw him handball it?”

Despite rarely threatening the United goal in the second half, Redknapp felt the goal denied his side any chance of a comeback.

“You never know (whether Spurs might have snatched a point). The game lasts 90 minutes, we were one down, we may get another opportunity to score, you don’t know.”

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, though, felt Tottenham’s Brazil goalkeeper only had himself to blame.

He said: “It was bizarre. No-one knew at the time what was wrong. One minute the goalkeeper had the ball in his hands and next it’s in his net.

“Nani looked back and looked at the referee and the referee said play on, so what can he do but put the ball in the net?

“You can look at the referee and look at the linesmen and blame them, but the goalkeeper should know better. He’s an experienced goalkeeper. I thought he made a mess of it.”