Step-By- Step Guide To Nani's Controversial But Legal Winner For Manchester United vs Tottenham

When Manchester United and
Tottenham go head-to-head,
controversy is a given, and it
usually tends to go in favour of
Sir Alex Ferguson & Co.
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Nani goal
Today was exactly the same,
while also being just a little bit
different.
With 85 minutes on the clock,
Manchester United were up one
(perfectly legitimate) goal to nil.
Nani then broke into the area
and went down under pressure
from Kaboul.
Was it a penalty? It's clear the
pressure put on Nani was not
enough to bring him down, and
he somewhat simulated his fall.
But it's also clear that Kaboul
did, at one stage, briefly tug
back the winger with both
hands, which is a foul. So
perhaps it could have gone
either way, depending on any
given referee's interpretations of
the rule.
Referee Mark Clattenburg did
not give the penalty, but that
was the least of the controversy.
After that, as Nani dramatically
scrambled around on the floor,
he scooped the ball with his
hand. As no penalty had been
given and the ball was still live,
this, technically speaking, was a
foul.
However, neither the referee nor
his assistant blew or flagged for
a foul.
They may not have seen the
incident, or may have seen it, but
then seen Spurs goalkeeper
Heurelho Gomes pick up the ball
moments later and, on that
basis, waved play on. Spurs had
recovered the advantage.
Gomes, though, then rolled it
out to take what he believed was
a free kick. Even most players on
the pitch seemed to believe,
because of the way Gomes had
gathered the ball, that it was a
free kick.
However, Nani was alive to the
decision (or lack thereof) and
jogged in front of Gomes before
giving a couple of sheepish
glances towards the referee and
eventually - over the course of a
few seconds that seemed to go
on forever - tapping the ball in
the net.
Blown fuses | But the matter of
fact remains, the whistle was not
Whether the initial incident was a
penalty, a dive, or a non-issue is
irrelevant.
Nani's handball was either not
spotted or deemed 'cancelled
out' by Spurs recovering
possession via Gomes.
After Nani scored, Gomes
immediately darted towards the
referee's assistant, gesticulating
frantically that Nani had handled
the ball. Gomes had believed he
was taking a free kick, but did so
without realising that the whistle
had never been blown.
Failure to play to the whistle cost
Spurs in what was a cruel and
confusing incident. They were
already one down with just five
minutes to go - so by recent
standards, this was one of the
less controversial encounters
they've had with United - but
ultimately, they will count
themselves unfortunate to be on the receiving end of yet more confused officiating.