‘Nobody who saw what happened in the 89th minute of Tuesday's Premiership match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur can be in any doubt about two things: first, that Spurs were robbed of a goal which would have won them the football match; and second, that the open-and-shut injustice of the incident brings the use of video evidence by match officials several steps closer. Many would also agree on a third conclusion too: that it could only happen at Old Trafford, a ground where it is popularly believed that far too many referees are unwilling to give decisions that might anger Sir Alex Ferguson.
‘For those who may have missed it, the facts are these. With a minute of normal time remaining and with the score standing at 0-0, Tottenham's Pedro Mendes hit a long, high shot from the halfway line in the hope of catching Manchester's goalkeeper Roy Carroll off his line. Carroll scrambled back just in time to catch the ball, which then jumped out of his hands and landed on the ground a yard or so inside the goal. The goalkeeper then quickly turned and scooped the ball back into the field of play. The referee and the linesman each claim to have missed the incident, as a result of which no goal was given.
‘That, though, ought not to be the end of it. Carroll clearly saw the ball in his own goal and took action to get it back on the pitch. He could, therefore, have told the referee the truth - that a goal had been scored. That he chose not to do so, and that it seems not to have occurred to anyone that he might be under any obligation to do so, tells you most of what you need to know about the morality of modern football. But the fact is simple: by not fessing up, Carroll cheated, in a rather serious, though not unusual way. It will be interesting to see whether Manchester United fine him for what he did, and whether the Football Association takes action against him, as each of them is entitled and ought to do. It will not, of course, give Spurs the goal they deserve, but it would show that someone in football still remembers the difference between right and wrong.’