Tottenham Hotspur were denied a penalty in their game on Sunday which ended in defeat for Antonio Conte’s men.
But former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has been speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch to claim he was not surprised to see no penalty given.
Left wing-back Ryan Sessegnon was seemingly nudged to the ground by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, but the penalty calls left VAR officials unmoved.
Spurs were left to rue another poor first-half display as they finished the game as 2-1 losers. However, controversy remains around the penalty call on Sessegnon.
It was apparent the Spurs players thought it was a penalty as they crowded the referee, but Gallagher remained in Andy Madley’s camp and supported his decision not to award a spot-kick:
He said: “I think this is a little nudge, a little lean, but certainly not a barge.
“I’d have been very, very surprised if they’d come to conclusion [of] penalty.
TIF Thoughts on Gallagher’s comments…
What is interesting is that later on in the show, Gallagher suggested the referee and VAR were right to award Fulham with a penalty on an identical challenge from Joao Cancelo: “The first decision. Is it a foul? Well, it is a foul, isn’t it?” he said.
Is VAR hampering Spurs this season?
Yes
No
And we think this is where the frustration comes from among supporters over VAR. If Cancelo’s challenge was not given as a penalty on Saturday, this decision may have been forgotten about by now.
What makes it even worse is the referee for the Manchester City game on Saturday, Darren England, was the man in charge of VAR for Spurs’ game.