Man U 5 Tottenham 2

Manchester United cemented their position as champions in waiting with an emphatic 5-2 victory over Tottenham after Liverpool and Chelsea both won.

What can you say about that game? My two most hated teams playing against each other and in the end all the headlines surround the penalty award. Firstly, I am sick and tired of being told by the FA who our top referees are. We can judge that for ourselves and why Howard Webb is being touted as the UK's best referee is beyond me. He gave Man U a handball decision against us at Old Trafford which gave Man U their equaliser which was so ball-to-hand it's painful. Not to mention the softest of free kicks to Evra for running as fast as possible to the edge of the area and then falling over. But that's another blog. The bottom line is, Howard Webb is an average referee at best.

Having said that, I have watched that penalty decision again and again, and is it just me, or is it clearly a penalty? There are a couple of angles that make it difficult to decide, but one angle shows Carrick taking the ball away from Gomes and being caught by the goalkeeper who makes no contact with the ball at all. Believe me, I am the last person to favour Man U, but I call it as I see it.

Having said all that, a dubious penalty does not excuse the complete and utter capitulation of the Tottenham team. Pathetic does not begin to describe it. Keystone cops defending and when Man United players weren't squeezing the ball in the net, Tottenham defenders were obligingly giving them a hand.

If I were a Liverpool or Chelsea fan I would be spitting blood at the way teams go to Old Trafford and then melt into oblivion. It's not as if Man U need any more help, they already get the generosity of the referees as well as home advantage, and a great team to field, they don't need the opposition falling apart in admiration as well! Ah well, what do you expect from Tottenham.

And to think, they were telling us not too long ago how they were going to break into the top four with their heady signings like Darren Bent and David Bentley. I never understood why Tottenham fans have been so hostile towards Levy and the board. They have given managers an unbelievable amount of money to spend, and look at them now. They should hang their heads in shame after their performance yesterday, and it is very smart of Redknapp to divert attention away from that, and onto the referee.

From the Arsenal point of view, we should be encouraged that it looks like you can go to Old Trafford and score. However, our defence isn't looking too clever. It's all about how many we concede....More on that game later.....