Sunderland earned a narrow home win against Premier League rivals Spurs - but there was a big talking point during the Stadium of Light clash.
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There was a moment of controversy in Sunderland’s 1-0 win against Premier League relegation candidates Tottenham Hotspur as the visitors were awarded a penalty after a questionable decision by referee Robert Jones.
The incident came with the midway point of the first-half approaching as Black Cats duo Luke O’Nien and Omar Alderete challenged for the ball with Spurs forward Randal Kolo Muani inside their own area. The France international went to ground under minimal contact from Alderete and O’Nien got involved in the situation in a decision that was questioned by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
Jones wasted little time in pointing to the spot, much to the bemusement of the vast majority of those inside the Stadium of Light. However, the decision was overturned after a review that was instructed by VAR official James Bell and the decision was communicated by Jones after he assessed the footage via a pitchside monitor. He said: “After review, home 15 clearly plays the ball first, before any subsequent contact. Final decision is a drop ball to the goalkeeper. No penalty.”
Former Spurs and Sunderland striker Darren Bent believes Kolo Muani’s reaction shows that the team of officials got to the correct decision and stressed Alderete had clearly got to the ball first.
When asked if the decision was correct, Bent told Sky Sports: “I think so, yes. You can quite clearly see Alderete gets his foot on the ball first and then it’s just a coming together. You can see Kolo Muani there, he’s not even asking for the penalty. I think he’s asking for a corner because he thinks he’s earned a corner. Once it’s given, you see a reaction and it’s ‘thank you, ref’ but, for me, they got to the right decision.”
The Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher replied: “They have got to the right decision - but if I was Sunderland manager, I’d be saying to Luke O’Nien, ‘what are you doing?’. It’s a stupid challenge, it’s got nothing to do with you, just stay out of it. I’m not saying he was lucky to get away with it because it wasn’t a penalty - but it’s a daft challenge to make.”