Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has reacted to Micky van de Ven’s red card as Tottenham played Crystal Palace on Thursday night.
Things began well for Spurs as they took a lead courtesy of Dominic Solanke after Palace had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside.
After going a man up, the hosts responded quickly and scored three goals in the first half to go into the break with a 3-1 lead.
Has Micky van de Ven just tarnished his Tottenham reputation?
Red card vs Crystal Palace…
Mark Clattenburg believes Micky van de Ven deserved the red card vs Crystal Palace
Clattenburg assessed the footage that led to van de Ven being sent off, and believes that the on-field referee made the right call.
The Dutch centre-back denied Ismaila Sarr a clear goal-scoring opportunity in the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Palace forward was clean through on goal and the wrong side of van de Ven, who was running back to prevent him from having a shot at goal.
If Tottenham are to sack Igor Tudor, who would YOU want to replace him?
They have been woeful under Tudor…
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However, instead of making an attempt to win the ball, the Tottenham defender pulled the Senegal international’s shirt and brought him down to the ground.
Andy Madley, the referee, rightly pointed to the spot and gave the Netherlands international his marching orders.
Speaking exclusively to The Spurs News, Clattenburg said: “This is a straightforward decision for the referee.
“Micky van de Ven pulls the arm of Ismaila Sarr inside the penalty area while having a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
“Pulling the arm is not a deliberate play for the ball, so the laws of the game expect the player to be dismissed from the field of play for such action.”
Will Tottenham sack Igor Tudor after his performance?
While it is hard to blame Igor Tudor after his team went down to ten men, the buck does stop with the manager.
Newcastle showed fight under Eddie Howe and managed to beat an in-form Manchester United side with 10 men.
However, Spurs conceded three goals in ten minutes, showing that there is no structure in place.
If the board panics, given that Tottenham are only one point away from the relegation zone, they may give Tudor an ultimatum to turn things around.
That said, they are not likely to make a hasty sacking decision on the back of a loss with ten men.