Villan, the real sinner wasn't Beckham. He was on a hiding to nothing, taking a huge pressure-shot against his ex-ManU-colleague who probably knows his penalty technique better than his PA knows his jock-strap size!

The real villain, Villan, is that great useless lummox Heskey. What in hell's name was a gormless cart-horse, whose job is to put the fear of God into the opposing centre-backs in t'other half of the field, doing on the edge of his own box and tackling from behind when two defenders were already chaperoning the French guy out towards the side-line?? Insanity.

And equal-second were Gerrard and James. Gerrard for the worst back-pass I've ever seen (even I used to do better than that when I was the reserve defender for Gainsborough Chestnuts), and "Captain Kamikaze" James for a manoeuvre that could only ever have two results - Henry on the deck and a penalty taken by the best player in the world - (If the ground-mics had been closer we'd probably have heard him screaming "Banzai" as he began his dive) when he should have stayed on his feet, made himself big and made Henry work for a result.

If those three hadn't committed schoolboy errors, the success or failure of Beckham's penalty would have been totally immaterial.

Strollin "Bites Yer Legs" Johnny :0)