• Premier League Plays of the Day

Plays of the Day: Red rage over Balotelli

Scott Parker did not make a meal of the incident that saw Mario Balotelli make contact with his head © PA Photos

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That's a red card... surely a red card!
When Mario Balotelli 'misplaced' his foot on Scott Parker's head during Manchester City's 3-2 win over Tottenham, a red card surely had to follow. The Italian had already been booked, but this was worthy of a straight red card as he appeared to make an unnatural movement of his leg in order to catch the Spurs player.

As Harry Redknapp gracefully put it: "He kicked Scott Parker in the head." Referee Howard Webb did not see the incident (that better be his excuse, otherwise it was outrageously poor refereeing), so Balotelli can surely expect retrospective action. Not that it will soothe the pain for Spurs, after Balotelli scored the winner.

Nine minutes of madness
Think of the things you can't do in nine minutes. Boil some rice perhaps. Watch half an episode of Coronation Street. Maybe even run a bath. However, nine minutes was all it took at the Etihad Stadium for the score to go from 0-0 to 2-2.

Samir Nasri scored a peach before Joleon Lescott bagged one of the scrappiest goals of the season to put City two up. Stefan Savic then supplied an assist that Andy Carroll would have been proud of for Jermain Defoe, before Gareth Bale scored the goal of the game. It was marvellous, it was breathtaking, and both sides deserve credit.

60,000 substitute teachers
It would be unfair to blame Arsenal's defeat to Manchester United on one player - no, really, it would - but it is very tempting to suggest that Andrei Arshavin's introduction (for the lively Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain) was a hugely costly mistake. What is worse, everyone in the ground apart from Arsene Wenger seemed to know it was a poor tactical change (chanting "You don't know what you're doing"). Even Robin van Persie questioned it - shouting "No!" at Wenger, although whether it was Oxlade-Chamberlain's exit or Arshavin's arrival he was angry at is harder to tell - but Wenger persisted, and soon after Antonio Valencia would shake off the little Russian to set up the game-winning goal. Ouch.

The moment the title slipped away?
As the match ticked into the 91st minute between City and Tottenham, the visitors had the chance to move within two points of the league leaders when Bale rolled the ball square to Defoe four yards from goal. Joe Hart was out of the equation, all it needed was for Defoe to get enough of a connection to win the match for Spurs. However, the England man failed to grow the extra inch needed to get his right boot around the ball, and within 180 seconds Tottenham found themselves eight points adrift of City after Balotelli's penalty.

You've got to be a Twit to follow
You can see why footballers get so many followers on Twitter when you read some of the pearls of wisdom that they come out with. Take the Sunday morning offerings, for example, from Jack Wilshere and Rafael van der Vaart. Offering about as much insight as Alan Shearer in a pundit's chair, Van der Vaart tweeted: "Today will be an important one for the league." Then Wilshere, clearly determined to prove he wasn't 'doing a Darren Bent' by going shopping for the day, offered: "Brilliant day of football ahead... I'm going to the Emirates later to watch the boys."

Where's that Retweet button?

Clichy heading for London?
Do not be surprised to see Gael Clichy competing in the men's basketball competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Judging by the evidence on show at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, the Frenchman possesses exceptional defensive skills in the game that many dub "the entertaining version of netball". Having run about 30 yards to get close to Kyle Walker on the left touchline, Clichy then assumed his position in the Spurs man's face as he went to take a quick throw. Leaping like a miniature action-figure of Michael Jordan, Clichy managed to block Walker's intentions, at which point one American-born City fan in the crowd could be heard shouting "REJECTION". A booking was Clichy's reward.

That wasn't in the script
The return of Thomas Vermaelen at left-back for Arsenal was supposed to remove one of the most glaring weaknesses for the Gunners in recent weeks. It didn't quite work out like that, however, as Antonio Valencia out-jumped the taller Belgian to score the opening goal just before half-time. Unfortunately the theory doesn't always work out in practice.

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