Tottenham supporters were left infuriated when Newcastle were awarded a penalty in their 2-2 draw at St James' Park. And the Premier League have now clarified why a spot kick was given.
Bruno Guimaraes had given the hosts the lead in the 71st minute, but Cristian Romero was on hand to tie the game up just minutes later. However, 10 minutes after the equaliser, referee Thomas Bramall was sent to the monitor by VAR, after the video official had spotted Rodrigo Bentancur and Dan Burn tussling during a Newcastle corner.
While the pair did fall to the floor, both players seemingly had a hold of each other. Nevertheless, the official deemed that there was enough contact from Bentancur for a penalty, leaving Tottenham players and fans in disbelief.
Premier League Clarify Newcastle Penalty Decision
The Premier League have since clarified why a penalty was given on their Match Centre account on X. They wrote: "After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of no penalty to Newcastle United.
"Referee announcement: “After review, Tottenham number 30 makes a holding offence at the back post and clearly does not look at the ball. My final decision is penalty kick.”"
Despite the referee deciding that it met the threshold for a penalty, there was still bewilderment at the decision. Jamie Carragher labelled it "harsh" while commentating on the game for Sky Sports. And Rio Ferdinand went even further, describing the decision as "disgraceful" on social media.
The former Manchester United defender wrote: "Disgraceful decision to reward #NUFC penalty… whoever controlling the VAR should be ashamed + the ref then reviews and should be also. Well done Newcastle."
Kevin Danso Calls For Consistency After Newcastle 2-2 Tottenham
Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon would go on to score the spot kick and put Eddie Howe's side in front with just minutes to go in the tie. But, fortunately for Tottenham, Romero then levelled proceedings once again.
After Aaron Ramsdale punched a corner high into the air, the Argentine attempted a bicycle kick. Despite not making the cleanest contact with the ball, it bounced its way into the Newcastle net for his second of the night.
Neither side was able to snatch all three points at the death. But Tottenham players might feel hard done by due to Newcastle receiving a controversial penalty. Kevin Danso, speaking after the game, stated that the decision felt "tough" on the visiting side because of the lack of consistency in the Premier League regarding holding during set-pieces.