Tottenham felt they were hard done by a controversial call against Newcastle United.
While we saw Cristian Romero scoring a brace to churn up a record 12-year-old for the second time this season in the midweek, there is still a bit of bitter taste left in the supporters’ mouths for that highly controversial penalty decision.
The Lilywhites came back from behind twice as the Argentine centre back netted a 95th-minute overhead kick to take a point out of St James’ Park. But it could have been much more.
In that second half, when Tottenham equalised to make it 1-1 and were finally looking to build some sense of momentum, they were dragged back by a decision that left many fuming. And Spurs skipper Cristian Romero, who is never shy of a fight, has now made his feelings public.
They called it holding offence, but it was just a regular challenge that took the game away from Spurs
Official: Rodrigo Bentancur signs new long-term deal at Tottenham.
Did Rodrigo Bentancur go too strong on Dan Burn?
To describe that incident a bit, it all came from a Newcastle United corner when the ball swung in for Rodrigo Bentancur and Dan Burn. Both of them were tangled at the back post with arms wrapped around each other. Now this is more of the usual wrestling that happens during almost every set piece.
But VAR saw something differently, and they sent referee Thomas Bramall to the pitch-side monitor. The man with the whistle was advised to punish Bentancur for a “holding offence”.
Even though many replays showed how Dan Burn was impeding just as much as Bentancur, it was the latter who was judged more as an aggressor. And then, while Tottenham supporters and players were still confused, Anthony Gordon stepped up and slammed the penalty past Guglielmo Vicario. Suddenly Newcastle were back in front, and the pressure was again on the visitors.
Romero agrees with Rio Ferdinand backlash on the controversial pen call
Reflecting on what happened, Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand took to social media to express his discontent with the decision. Taking to X, he wrote:
Rio Ferdinand’s Tweet on Newcastle penalty.
And his words captured a lot about the mood in the Lilywhites camp and among the fans. That was shown when Cristian Romero went on to retweet the post.
Romero retweeting the Man United icon.
Author Opinion
There was already a sense of frustration among the supporters going into the game given how the results have followed at Hotspur Way. But that false penalty call adds to the frustration, given how those three points away at St James’ Park would have taken away a lot of pressure from Frank’s shoulders.
And that above retweet by Romero just demonstrates the feeling among the players as well as supporters. What do you make of that penalty call on Dan Burn at the weekend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.