Spurs stoppage-time goal denies Manchester United win
United boss points finger at assistant referee for denying 'clear-cut' penalty as Spurs rescue point with Dempsey's stoppage-time goal
Alex Ferguson was left to fume at a match official after Manchester United were denied a penalty in a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur that breathed new life into the Premier League title race.
Bidding to re-establish a seven-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, United saw their advantage shrink to five points when Clint Dempsey lashed in a stoppage-time equaliser amid steadily descending snow at White Hart Lane.
Dempsey's intervention deprived United of what would have been a very welcome victory, given the barrage of attempts at goal that the visiting defence had to weather in the second half of the game.
Ferguson, though, reserved his ire for assistant referee Simon Beck, who kept his flag down despite Steven Caulker appearing to trip United substitute Wayne Rooney inside the Spurs 18-yard box in the 63rd minute.
Beck previously found himself the target of Ferguson's anger after failing to flag when Didier Drogba scored a winning goal for Chelsea at Old Trafford in April 2010, and the United manager's reaction proved he had not forgotten.
"It was a clear penalty kick on Wayne Rooney, but in no way was the linesman going to give that," Ferguson said.