'They Were Told': Dermot Gallagher on controversial Newcastle v Tottenham penalty
Thomas Frank was in disbelief having seen his Spurs side give away a penalty in the 2-2 draw against Newcastle United.
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank was left aggrieved by a decision to award a penalty to Newcastle United in his side’s 2-2 draw on Tyneside on Tuesday night.
The teams had been level at 1-1 going into the final moments of the match before Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was penalised for hauling Dan Burn to the ground in the box. Anthony Gordon scored the penalty that followed before Cristian Romero salvaged a point with an injury time goal - his second of the match.
Speaking after the game, Frank shared his frustration at the decision. The Tottenham Hotspur boss went as far as to say a member of opposition staff had even agreed with him.
Thomas Frank frustrated with Newcastle United penalty decision
He said: "The second one is very disappointing to concede because for me it's never a penalty. Even speaking to someone from Newcastle, who didn't think it's a penalty. We need the consistency.
"Because that penalty, that would be given two times a game. And I think the referee call on the pitch nailed it. And VAR can only be if it's clear and obvious."
However, speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher was less sympathetic. The ex official ruled that top flight players had been warned about physical challenges when not looking at the ball, suggesting that Frank’s stars should have known better.
Dermot Gallagher believes Tottenham Hotspur star at fault for penalty
He said: “Just before that corner was taken, Thomas Bramall actually went to the two players and said to Bentancur, ‘you’re facing the wrong way’. He’s told them. If I was that referee, when I go back to my position, that’s who I’d be focusing on.
“The one thing I’ll say, which the clubs were warned about, is if the player is not facing the ball - which he never is - he runs a risk of giving a penalty away. The referee focuses on those players, so you’d think he’s seen that. He thinks it’s not a penalty.
“The next question is, VAR looks, is it a clear and obvious error? They’re grappling and he’s not looking at the ball. But they are both grappling. The referee clears it, the VAR says no. The referee goes to the screen and sees something on the screen he didn’t see in the match. That’s a mystery to me. Why he identifies that [in real time] and then ignores it.”
Gallagher’s verdict suggested that the most incriminating moment for Bentancur came in the warning prior to the foul with the player failing to respect the referee’s wishes. When asked to clarify Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank was left aggrieved by a decision to award a penalty to Newcastle United in his side’s 2-2 draw on Tyneside on Tuesday night.
The teams had been level at 1-1 going into the final moments of the match before Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was penalised for hauling Dan Burn to the ground in the box. Anthony Gordon scored the penalty that followed before Cristian Romero salvaged a point with an injury time goal - his second of the match.
Speaking after the game, Frank shared his frustration at the decision. The Tottenham Hotspur boss went as far as to say a member of opposition staff had even agreed with him.
Thomas Frank frustrated with Newcastle United penalty decision
He said: "The second one is very disappointing to concede because for me it's never a penalty. Even speaking to someone from Newcastle, who didn't think it's a penalty. We need the consistency.
"Because that penalty, that would be given two times a game. And I think the referee call on the pitch nailed it. And VAR can only be if it's clear and obvious."
However, speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher was less sympathetic. The ex official ruled that top flight players had been warned about physical challenges when not looking at the ball, suggesting that Frank’s stars should have known better.
Dermot Gallagher believes Tottenham Hotspur star at fault for penalty
He said: “Just before that corner was taken, Thomas Bramall actually went to the two players and said to Bentancur, ‘you’re facing the wrong way’. He’s told them. If I was that referee, when I go back to my position, that’s who I’d be focusing on.
“The one thing I’ll say, which the clubs were warned about, is if the player is not facing the ball - which he never is - he runs a risk of giving a penalty away. The referee focuses on those players, so you’d think he’s seen that. He thinks it’s not a penalty.
“The next question is, VAR looks, is it a clear and obvious error? They’re grappling and he’s not looking at the ball. But they are both grappling. The referee clears it, the VAR says no. The referee goes to the screen and sees something on the screen he didn’t see in the match. That’s a mystery to me. Why he identifies that [in real time] and then ignores it.”
Gallagher’s verdict suggested that the most incriminating moment for Bentancur came in the warning prior to the foul with the player failing to respect the referee’s wishes. When asked to clarify that point, the former referee said: “That to me, was everything.
“Watch what happens before the incident, not the incident. That’s what the catalyst is. It all panned out from there. He never, ever looks at the ball. That’s the key thing. They [the players] were told.”
In other news, Next Tottenham Manager: Spurs can offer Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner what he craves - opinion.pthat point, the former referee said: “That to me, was everything.
“Watch what happens before the incident, not the incident. That’s what the catalyst is. It all panned out from there. He never, ever looks at the ball. That’s the key thing. They [the players] were told.”
In other news, Next Tottenham Manager: Spurs can offer Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner what he craves - opinion.