The Premier League have issued an explanation after Tottenham were denied what many believed should have been a late penalty and equaliser for Tottenham in their latest 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham Hotspur needed just one point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to secure their Premier League status for next season.
However, Spurs fell to a damaging 2-1 defeat at a ground where they had not won in over eight years, meaning their survival battle now goes down to the final weekend of the campaign.
Despite the result, Tottenham were arguably the better side for large parts of the game, finishing with the higher expected goals tally while also creating more chances.
Yet again, though, costly individual mistakes proved decisive. Supporters will also point toward refereeing decisions as another major reason behind both this defeat and Tottenham’s broader struggles this season, with several controversial calls having gone against them throughout the campaign.
Premier League explain Marc Cucurella decision against Tottenham
One of the biggest talking points came during the closing stages of the match when Tottenham were pushing for an equaliser.
As Spurs prepared to take a corner, Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella appeared to drag Micky Van de Ven to the floor inside the penalty area with little attempt to play the ball.
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Cucurella was shown a yellow card for the incident, but referee Stuart Attwell only ordered the corner to be retaken after a brief VAR review.
The explanation given was that the ball had not yet been in play when the foul occurred.
The Premier League Match Centre later addressed the incident on X, stating: “The referee’s call of no penalty to Tottenham Hotspur was checked and confirmed by VAR, with it deemed that the action from Cucurella had ended before the ball was in play.”
The decision did not go down well with Tottenham players or supporters, while many neutrals also questioned the outcome.
Ironically, the post itself was later hit with a community note claiming that footage clearly showed the ball had already been in play.
Tottenham once again left frustrated by refereeing decisions
Unfortunately for Spurs supporters, this is far from the first time controversial officiating has cost the club important points this season.
Only a week earlier against Leeds United, James Maddison appeared to be clearly tripped inside the penalty area late in the game, but Tottenham were not awarded a spot-kick that would’ve handed Spurs the opportunity to snatch a crucial victory.
Maddison himself publicly reacted to that incident on social media and also questioned the Cucurella decision after the Chelsea defeat.
The midfielder reportedly felt that if Cucurella’s actions were enough to warrant a yellow card, then the challenge should also have resulted in a penalty given the ball appeared to already be in play.