‘You’re getting soft’ – Keys and Gray clash over ‘ridiculous’ Burnley penalty incident at Spurs
Richard Keys and Andy Gray were passionately split over whether Burnley should have got a potential penalty against Tottenham.
In a match where Spurs dominated proceedings, Burnley also contested in the game, causing the Lilywhites some concern to their back line if it wasn’t for the speed of Micky van de Ven.
Strikes from Richarlison and Brennan Johnson put the north London side into a commanding lead as Thomas Frank grabbed all three points for a 3-0 rout.
Yet, there was still controversy when the Clarets hit on the counter-attack, causing a debate between Keys and Gray.
Pedro Porro risky against Jaidon Anthony
Near the end of the second half, with the score still at 1-0, Jaidon Anthony was put through on goal as Pedro Porro appeared to collide with him in the box from behind.
Reviewing the incident at half-time, the iconic duo clashed over the penalty shout with Keys stating (beIN Sports, 44th minute): “There is contact and it is clumsy.”
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To which Gray adamantly replied: “Right, sorry, is he getting the ball? [No], thank you. It was a coming together, come on. You’re really giving a penalty for that?
“Sorry, he’s [Anthony] not even in the shot, come on. I’ve seen some ridiculous claims for a penalty and that’s one.”
Keys then questioned his co-presenter’s view before being interrupted as Gray said: “No, sorry, come on, you’re getting soft.”
Tottenham looking far more resolute
Football Insider verdict
After a testing UEFA Super Cup final against PSG, the Lilywhites bounced back in some style to despatch of Burnley to claim all three points in their first outing of the season.
Defensively, Frank’s side looked far better than under his predecessor Ange Postecoglou with Spurs operating as a unit rather than frantically running around the pitch.
Kudus, in particular, stunned down the right, causing problems for the defender all day long with his agility and acceleration.
The Clarets were not expected to win this tie, but they certainly weren’t completely destroyed by any stretch of the imagination.
Parker, as expected, set up his side in deep-lying banks, a feature which will certainly be employed across the season as the club looks to stay up.
Next game is a major six-pointer against relegation rivals Sunderland and one Parker has to make sure he wins if he wants any hope of staying in the top division.