With his first goal for Tottenham, Pape Matar Sarr was a significant contributor to the victory. Lisandro Martinez also contributed to the victory by scoring an own goal, which was a fortunate turn of events. Despite the fact that there were times when luck seemed to be on the north London team’s side and that Manchester United’s Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, and Casemiro wasted great opportunities, Tottenham was able to capitalize on their control in the second half to secure a victory that was desperately needed.
Alejandro Garnacho’s attempt was deflected wide by Cristian Romero’s accidental handball during the first half of the match, which was a pivotal moment with significant implications. As the ball struck Romero’s hand within the penalty area, video replays suggested that a penalty could have been awarded; nevertheless, the decision of referee Michael Oliver to not award the penalty kick was upheld by the video assistant referee.
This contentious judgment became the primary focus of criticism following the conclusion of the contest. In his defense of video assistant referees, Dermot Gallagher, a former referee in the Premier League, acknowledged the difficulties involved in identifying handball scenarios. Gallagher voiced his doubt over the chances of an apology being issued by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). He brought attention to the intricacies involved in evaluating elements such as the position of the arm, the involvement of the shoulder, and the pace of the ball.
Erik ten Hag, the manager of Tottenham, had a resounding response to Gallagher’s comments, emphasizing his dissatisfaction with the video assistant referee. Ten Hag contended that his team should have been penalized for the handball, citing the obvious impact on the direction of the ball and describing the handball as an obstruction. A similar view was expressed by Bruno Fernandes, who called for an apology to be extended by Jon Moss, the chief referee.
Fernandes expressed his concern with the lack of post-match interviews conducted by officials in order to provide an explanation for their decisions. He argued that there should be no justifications for ignoring what he considered to be an obvious penalty. In addition, the Portuguese midfielder made a demand for consistency in the officiating, referring to the incident that occurred with Manchester United the week before.
As a result of the consequences from this judgment involving the VAR, concerns over transparency, accountability, and consistency in the implementation of rules have been rekindled. The controversy that surrounds the role that video assistant referees (VAR) play in determining the outcomes of matches continues to be a popular topic of discussion in the Premier League. This is because there is an increasing desire for post-match explanations and perhaps apologies.
