My Reaction to the United-Tottenham Match

Needless to say, but great comeback from United.

First of all, the penalty. It's not as shocking as it's been made out to be by some people. It was probably the wrong decision, but it's not as clear cut as it's been made out and you can understand how Howard made the mistake. 

It's not as if Gomes clearly deflected the ball's path, which would've made it obvious that he made contact with the ball. From Howard's angle it looked like Carrick got to the ball first (which he did) and then Gomes tripped him. 

The reason why the decision has been highlighted and blown up so much is clearly because of it's implication to the match (and probably the league) overall, not because of the decision itself. 

The real point that needs reminding is how silly it is that, at this level of professional football, matches are not decided between two football teams as it should be, but between two teams and a referee. The referee has become as important to the outcome of a match as any player on the pitch. Can you ever imagine this being so in, say, Tennis?

The penalty changed the game, no doubt about it, but it was actually Tottenham's abysmal defending that was responsible for most of United goals, rather than outstanding play from United. Corluka's tactical positioning in particular, for Tottenham, was very lethargic and contributed significantly to conceding two of the goals.

United showed the determination of champions though, so in my eyes they earned the victory, despite having major help from Tottenham.

A special mention must go to Carlos Tevez, who was inspirational, and yet again proved to everybody what a great player he is, especially in regards to linking up play. Some people will continue to underrate him, but I think it says a lot that nearly every United fan wants him to stay.

Also, Rooney showed real consistent quality again throughout the match. This season he's really stepped up a level, and from someone who has always thought he's very, very overrated I've been impressed with his improvement, especially in regards to his decision making.

The fact that he played on the left wing yesterday and yet still managed to produce a great performance is evidence that he's become a lot better in terms of tactical awareness. 

For me, Rooney is now finally showing signs of becoming a truly top class player and hopefully he will go on to fulfill the hype that surrounds him, both for United and England.

And, finally, well done to Ronaldo, for scoring when it matters. His two goals were pretty simple, and yet again he was nowhere near outstanding for the rest of the match, but combined with the recent matches against Aston Villa and Porto, he's starting to develop a great habit of scoring when his team really needs him, which is a major improvement of before. 

Liverpool fans must be devastated, and cries of United being "the comeback kings" is a bit of an insult considering THAT match against Chelsea, but the title race could still change with one match and it's probable that there are still twists to come. 

Bring on the Champions League and next weekend!