Inter boss feels Gomes dismissal was correct
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11945_6457501,00.htmlRafa Benitez is convinced that Heurelho Gomes' red card was justified during Inter Milan's tussle with Tottenham.
The Spurs goalkeeper was dismissed after eight minutes of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League clash at Giuseppe Meazza for hauling down Jonathan Biabiany in the box.
Tottenham were already trailing at that point to Javier Zanetti's early opener and fell further behind when Samuel Eto'o converted from the spot.
Down to ten men, their night got gradually worse as Inter added another two goals before the interval.
A second half fight-back, led by Gareth Bale's hat-trick, made the unlikely seem possible, but they ultimately went down 4-3 to the reining European champions.
The night could have been so different had Brazilian shot-stopper Gomes stayed on the field, but Inter boss Benitez is adamant that the officials had no option but to send him for an early bath.
Testing
"I think so. It was clear," the Spaniard told Sky Sports.
"It was clear on the pitch and on the replay it was a clear foul. There are no doubts about this."
Benitez was impressed by the spirit on show from Spurs and knows his side will be given another thorough examination when they head to White Hart Lane for the return fixture in a fortnight's time.
"It will be a difficult game there," he said.
"But this is the Champions League so you always have to fight until the last minute, like today."
Fighting
Former Liverpool boss Benitez has also taken the time to thank those supporters who were in attendance on Wednesday who unveiled banners praising the job he did at Anfield.
He said: "It is obvious that the fans know what was going on. They know that I was fighting for them from the beginning until the last day. I am still fighting for them, so thank you to them."
On Tuesday, Benitez, who left Liverpool at the end of last season, launched into a bizarre rant at the Reds board, who he believes were responsible for driving him out.
Christian Purslow, former managing director on Merseyside, bore the brunt of his anger, despite having seen his popularity around the club rise of late after helping to push through a takeover from New England Sports Ventures.
He did, however, step down from his post at Anfield on Wednesday and Benitez could not resist the opportunity to have a cheeky swipe at his former employers.
"It was me yesterday talking about milk," he smiled when asked about Purslow's departure.