Source: SKY_Sports
Reina rues beach ball goal
Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has admitted he took his eye off the real ball for Darren Bent's controversial winner for Sunderland.
The Spanish international was beaten when Bent's shot struck a stray beach ball inside the penalty area to totally deceive the keeper.
Under the laws of the game the goal should have been disallowed with a drop ball given, but the officials appeared not to notice the change of direction the ball took after it hit the beach ball.
Reina admits the beach ball made him lose sight of the real ball as he instinctively moved towards the beach ball.
"It was such bad luck. I lost sight of the official ball and stayed on the red one," Reina told Spanish radio station Cope.
"When he shot, it startled me and I went for the red ball instinctively as it was the closest to me and the other went past me. It all happened very quickly.
"This had never happened before in my life. I didn't know what to do.
"A lot of things were going through my head but I honestly thought that the goal would stand and no one was going to disallow it."
Reina admits referee Mike Jones made a major mistake in awarding the goal and concedes if he had known about the rule himself he would have complained more to the officials at the Stadium of Light.
"We didn't know the rule because otherwise we would have protested," added Reina.
"But that's what makes the mistake of the ref even more grave.
"We didn't know it because it's not our job. As much as we can laugh about it now, on the day we had a torrid time."
