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Throughout all the theatrics, jubilation, and bonus MMA coverage last night in the UEFA Champions League match at the San Siro, there was one player who stepped up above all on the big stage for Tottenham Hotspur against AC Milan. Yes, Aaron Lennon was a menace down the right flank. Yes, Peter Crouch slotted home the winner from Lennon. And yes, it was great to see Jonathan Woodgate get match time as well. But I'm nominating Gomes as the man of the match. No, seriously.
When he came over from PSV in 2008, Gomes had a very shaky start. Since then, he's been playing at a consistently high level and racking up clean sheets in the process. The back line did play very well last night partially due to having a strong centerback pairing (Gallas & Dawson) and having a solid right back (Corluka). Did those players make some amazing saves though? Gomes did.
This game very well could have been a 3-1 Milan win without some fantastic work from Gomes. Milan defender Mario Yepes was robbed twice by the Brazilian with a pair of great saves off of corners. He looked confident taking command of an unenviable task of shutting down Milan's potent attack.
Match Highlights (Gomes saves at 1:07,1:36 & 2:07)
If Gomes keeps having monster games like last night, the ceiling for Spurs in the Champions League, and the Premiership, is very high. Kudos to you sir.