Controversial Comeback

Howard Webb tells the Spurs players to talk to his finger as they mob him

Comebacks are usually spectacular to watch, especially when one team overcomes a big deficit. But comebacks can turn into a philosophical debate especially if the referee happens to be 'involved' in it. Spurs bulldozed through to a 2-0 lead in the first half to the amazement of the Old Trafford crowd. Darrent Bent and Modric finished off their goals in style as the United defence was left to ponder once again, their deficiencies in marking out the Spurs strikers. Ahhhh..the Anfield half must have been delighted over the predicament that the United players were in. They have done their part in disposing Hull and now, it looks like United cannot match up the win.

Fergie made change in halftime as he decided to unleash Tevez over the somewhat ineffective Nani. In the 56th minute, Webb awarded a penalty to United after witnessing what appears to be Carrick being clattered to the ground by Gomes. However, TV replays have shown that Gomes actually did make some contact with the ball and this was shown in evidence by the the change of direction of the ball after the collision. Some even pointed out that it was a very major obvious mistake made by England's best referee. Spurs were furious coz first it was the Carroll nonsense a couple of years back and now this! Ronaldo converted the penalty and with one goal back in, it unwittingly sparked a rampage by Man Utd as they overpower Spurs amazingly with another 4 goals in 12 minutes. Wayne equalised first in the 67th minute and this was followed by a superb thumping diving header by Ronaldo in the 68th to put United in the lead. His joy was evident as he wheels away and flung his shirt away. There was some pushing and scramble in the 4th goal but the referee confirmed that it has passed the line and gave Wayne the goal. 5th goal was similar nature too but Berbatov was there to slot it pass Gomes.

The stretch of 12 minutes was truly the Man Utd that everyone once knew as they played through ball after through ball and all the waltzy runs were brilliant to watch. The combination of all 4 attackers proved to be an effective deadly gamble. By having Tevez upfront, this freed Wayne for the job at wide midfield as he provides better defensive cover for Evra as compared to Nani.

The match ended in a emphatic 5-3 win for Man Utd and it propelled them into prime position once again above Liverpool. Chelsea had apparently lost the title race plot when they drew with Fulham before their match with West Ham. So, it can be said that it's now a race between Man Utd and Liverpool. Looking back at the match, there was a debate on too what extend has Howard Webb's decision changed the course of the game. United fans may take solace that their team managed to overturn the 2 goal deficit but many would have argued that the comeback was only possible because of the wrong penalty. Some would even cheekily term it as a "super assist". My personal opinion is that yes, it did change the course of the game to some extent given that Man Utd have been known to play pretty badly when they are down for extended periods. But I belief that it was not 100% Webb's fault that Spurs lost the plot. It was a combination of other factors too such as the removal of Nani to put Tevez inside. Most importantly, Spurs still had one goal to lead even after the penalty. They could have held on to that if they had maintained focus. It was theirs to lose if they defended badly. In other words, Spurs had the chance to make amends. Credit have to be given to United for putting 4 goals up in 12 minutes. It may have been sparked by the decision, but how many teams could match up in putting up 4 goals in 12 minutes even if the penalty had been given in their favour? To place the entire blame on Webb is just like saying that World War 1 was started by a single bullet or that Gravillo Princip's mother was the person responsible for the war. I can see that there's a claim of causation somewhere there but this is just not the way to apply it. If Webb's decision had changed it from a 0-1 to a 1-1 or a 1-1 to a 2-1, it's valid to say that it's the referee's problem. But a change to 1-2 is still a lot to play for and it's just Spurs lack of initiative to hold on that caused their downfall. It's tacky to say this but I think Man Utd more or less deserved their win and comeback.

Not long to go now. Just 4 more matches or so. As long as Man Utd keep winning the remaining matches before the Arsenal match, the fate of the title won't depend on that match since it would be won by then. The Gooners have shown themselves to be formidable foes recently with the emergence of Arshavin. They showed that they are not shy to bang in the goals even in Fortress Anfield. Arshavin himself single-handedly pumped in 4 goals. This is a worrying threat for the upcoming 2 matches considering that Old Trafford is no longer the invincible place that it once was. Any team like Spurs or Hull can pump in the goals. The upcoming Champions League between Man Utd and Arsenal will be most interesting to watch. But I won't see the home fixture as advantage to United considering the forms the Gooners are in now.