Webb admits penalty blunder

by Toby Davis , 28 April 2009
Penalty decision angers Redknapp

Referee Howard Webb has admitted he made a mistake in awarding Manchester United a penalty in their victory over Tottenham on Saturday.

Webb pointed to the spot when United were 2-0 down at Old Trafford after Michael Carrick went down under a challenge from Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes.

Replays showed that Gomes clearly played the ball before clattering into the United midfielder, while the resulting spot-kick was converted by Cristiano Ronaldo and was the beginning of a United comeback.

The decision sparked a massive outcry following the game, which United won 5-2, with Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp publicly criticising Webb  for his performance.

The referee confessed he made a mistake but said from his angle, he was unable to see the keeper get a touch on the ball.

He told the BBC: "I've looked at it again and I think it was a mistake but we make these decisions honestly.

"It's not always easy to see the way the play pans out from pitch level.

"I could see the Manchester United player touch the ball and saw him get clattered by the goalkeeper but didn't see the extra deviation from the goalkeeper's fingers touching the ball.

"I'm disappointed as I always strive for perfection. I'll look at the tape in detail later in the week and try to avoid it happening again in the future.

"I never want to have a negative impact on a game and I get no pleasure from not reaching the high standards we set ourselves.

"But show me a man who's never made a mistake and I'll show you a man who's done nothing."

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Pos
Team P W D L GD PTS
1.
Arsenal
0
0
0
0
0
0
2.
Aston Villa
0
0
0
0
0
0
3.
Birmingham
0
0
0
0
0
0
4.
Blackburn
0
0
0
0
0
0
5.
Bolton
0
0
0
0
0
0
6.
Burnley
0
0
0
0
0
0
7.
Chelsea
0
0
0
0
0
0
8.
Everton
0
0
0
0
0
0
9.
Fulham
0
0
0
0
0
0
10.
Hull
0
0
0
0
0
0
11.
Liverpool
0
0
0
0
0
0
12.
Man City
0
0
0
0
0
0
13.
Man Utd
0
0
0
0
0
0
14.
Portsmouth
0
0
0
0
0
0
15.
Stoke
0
0
0
0
0
0
16.
Sunderland
0
0
0
0
0
0
17.
Tottenham
0
0
0
0
0
0
18.
West Ham
0
0
0
0
0
0
19.
Wigan
0
0
0
0
0
0
20.
Wolverhampton
0
0
0
0
0
0
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