Thomas Frank was irate on the touchline of Tottenham Hotspur’s away game against West Ham United following Cristian Romero’s headed goal in the 19th minute. The Premier League has now disclosed why referee Jarred Gillett wrote the goal off, but James Maddison, who is injured, has expressed his emotions about it.
Spurs believed they had taken the lead when Mohammed Kudus’ corner kick was headed beyond Mads Hermansen amid mayhem in the six-yard box. Almost immediately, referee Jarred Gillett ruled the goal out for a foul on West Ham defender Kyle Walker-Peters caused by Micky van de Ven’s apparent push amid the pandemonium.
Unsure whether his initial judgment call was correct, Gillett sought a second opinion from VAR (Video Assistant Referee). After a closer study by those at Stockley Park, the VAR upheld the man in the middle’s decision, and the score stayed 0-0, much to the surprise of those linked with the north Londoners, including Maddison.
James Maddison Slams ‘Shocker’ Decision to Rule Out Romero Goal
After making the decision, Gillett was confronted with a swarm of white shirts, led by goalscorer Romero, who were trying to figure out why the goal did not count – but now, minutes after the goal was chalked off, the Premier League Match Centre has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to explain why. They claimed that Tottenham’s van de Ven put enough force to Walker-Peters’ back to impair his ability to meet Kudus’ tempting delivery into the danger zone.
“The referee’s call of no goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that van de Ven pushed Walker-Peters in the back and impacted his ability to play the ball.”
When you re-watch the film, which Sky Sports has posted below, you will notice that Van de Ven made little to no touch with the Englishman, who had his arms wrapped around Romero. Instead, West Ham’s summer signing Mateus Fernandes and Hermansen are hampering Van de Ven’s progress. You can understand why Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou, was so unhappy by the decision.
As previously stated, Maddison, who is out of Frank’s plans due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained in preseason, is not thrilled with the decision. Angered, he remarked that if officials continue to whistle so much, they will be ‘blowing for something’ every time a corner kick is taken.
“Honestly, the referees and VAR have had a shocking start to the season. If that goal is disallowed for a foul, there will never be another corner taken without the referee blowing for anything.”
Whether it dampens the visitor’s chances of taking all three points, especially after losing 1-0 to Bournemouth before the international break, remains to be seen – but, on reflection, Maddison, Frank, and Spurs supporters have every right to be upset after a perfectly legal goal was disallowed.
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