Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has insisted that Tottenham Hotspur were denied a penalty on Boxing Day as there was not enough conclusive evidence that Harry Kane was fouled.
Spurs once again fell behind in a game and gave themselves a mountain to climb as they were 2-0 down in the second half, but showed some fighting spirit to claim a valuable point in their attempts to finish in the top four.
However, with the score at 1-0, they could have perhaps grabbed all three points had they been handed a penalty in the second half – with Kane seemingly dragged down to the ground by Brentford defender Ben Mee.
Gallagher, though, believes Kane was doing his fair share of pulling in the build-up and was therefore not handed a spot kick, despite his protests.
He said: “I thought they’re both grabbing. If you look, Kane’s got hold of Ben Mee at the back as well, so I think it’s one that if a penalty’s going to be given, it’s got to be given by the referee.
Should Spurs have had a penalty?
Yes!
No!
“The referee didn’t give it; I think in that case, the VAR’s got to stop out because there’s enough doubt, and I think that’s what you’ll see now going forward.
“I think that the VAR will only step in on the clear and obvious.”
TIF Thoughts on Kane’s penalty appeal…
The Spurs star striker was certainly convinced he was impeded in the box as he looked on shocked that no foul was awarded, which would’ve given him the opportunity to level things up and offer Tottenham a chance to go on and win the game.
It also would have given Kane the chance to right his wrongs from the World Cup, where he smashed a penalty high over the bar.
While it does indeed look like Kane has his arms around Mee, it looks more like he’s trying to get free from the Brentford defender rather than trying to push him to the ground, whereas Mee wasn’t even looking at the ball during the incident, which makes Gallagher’s comments even more bizarre.