Bale: I’m no diver

The Welsh international was cautioned after trying to con the referee in last night’s 2-1 win against Liverpool – not the first time it has happened.

But Bale - who scored one, made another and also netted an own-goal - has played down the incident, saying he thought there was contact from Reds defender Daniel Agger.

“I thought I got clipped a little bit,” he told Sky Sports after the game. “Sometimes it happens. You have just got to get on with it.”

Meanwhile, Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas has again refused to deny claims that they could cash in on Bale.

The Welshman is valued between £30-40million, with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona thought to be interested, but AVB did little to refute the rumours following the win against Liverpool.

“"At the moment he is performing extremely well for Spurs and we are amazed at what he can do for us. He is on to a great career.

“Obviously Tottenham as a football club want to keep him here for as long as we can, but we understand players like this have propositions and a market which is the nature of the game.”