Spurs Performance and Controversial VAR Decision Spark Debate
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What Spurs must focus on is how much better they were before their heads went after conceding the equaliser. They really should have been ahead before half-time, perhaps even decisively so. Tel got the goal six minutes into the second half, but they couldn’t find a second and that left them vulnerable to the sort of moment of thoughtlessness that gave Leeds the penalty.
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CBS SportsAnd they wouldn't fritter away their advantage today, would they? This was the banker on their fixture list. After the favor done for them by Arsenal on Sunday, Spurs surely needed only to get their noses out in front of an opponent who had nothing to play for between now and August. The travelling contingent had begun the night with cries of "Leeds are staying up" that were picked up with no less gusto when they fell into that hole in the 50th minute. It had been mission accomplished for Daniel Farke's side when results broke their way earlier this weekend. Without their starting full backs and Noah Okafor, they hadn't seemed to put up much of a fight beyond their customary scraps for long balls and set pieces.
Sky SportsTottenham were denied a late penalty by VAR in their 1-1 draw vs Leeds; James Maddison was felled by Lukas Nmecha but referee Jarred Gillett and VAR felt the Leeds striker got the ball; Roberto De Zerbi said the official "wasn't calm" as Spurs' relegation fears carry on
BBC Sport'Spurs still in relegation driving seat' The draw with Leeds felt like an opportunity missed. I felt like we deserve to win, but we just weren't clinical in front of goal.
NDTV SportsLeeds Draw Leaves Tottenham Hotspur In Relegation Peril Leeds and Tottenham played 1-1 draw
Reuters SportsTottenham relegation fears remain after home draw with Leeds - Reuters Tottenham relegation fears remain after home draw with Leeds Reuters
Yahoo SportsBut the harsh reality is that Tottenham could have easliy lost this game against Leeds if it were not for the heroics of young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who has emerged as the man of the hour for Spurs in this tenese relegation fight.
SMH SportCatchup with Rapid Recap: Watch the goals and big moments from Leeds United's visit to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face Spurs in Premier League Matchweek 36 action. Updated ,first published You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
ESPN DeportesESPN FC - Spurs' Relegation Battle Continues - ESPN Deportes ESPN FC - Spurs' Relegation Battle Continues ESPN Deportes
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Maddison, 29, who was making his first appearance of the season after his return from injury, wrote on his Instagram account: "For clarity… The small, tiny touch on the ball to change direction came from the outside of my right foot, not Nmecha, and I told the ref that.
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Sky SportsMaddison wrote on his Instagram account on Tuesday evening: "For clarity… The small, tiny touch on the ball to change direction came from the outside of my right foot, not Nmecha, and I told the ref that.
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"But the check was over in about 20 seconds. Officials are petrified to make decisions on pitch now because of VAR.
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BBC Sport"But the check was over in about 20 seconds. Officials are petrified to make decisions on pitch now because of VAR. We keep fighting. COYS."
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It’s David Squires on … a potentially season-defining Royal Rumble at West Ham. -
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According to the Premier League Match Centre, the officials felt Nmecha got enough contact on the ball to justify the penalty not being given.
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O'Hara: It's an obvious penalty Reacting to the incident on Sky Sports Fan Club, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O'Hara added: "It's a penalty. I'm sorry, I don't care what anyone says.
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"You can show me a million angles of this, where does the ball move? I don't believe there is enough movement from the ball and the player. That ball does not move. That is a penalty.
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"He bottled it, that ref. We saw a crazy decision the other day at West Ham - which was a foul. But they took an age over that decision. They looked at that for five minutes. They looked at the [Nmecha] challenge for 30 seconds and played on."
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There were 49 seconds between the challenge being made on Maddison and referee Gillett receiving the news that his on-field decision of 'no penalty' was correct.
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Does it even matter if Nmecha touches the ball? The first sign that Gillett was convinced that Nmecha played the ball was his decision to award a corner once the Maddison challenge was made. There was also the linesman on the touchline who would have helped make that decision.
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"We've seen other examples where the ball may touch a player but there's still heavy contact on the follow through and it's a penalty."
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In January 2025, Arsenal's William Saliba was penalised for conceding a penalty on Brighton's Joao Pedro - despite the centre-back heading the ball before coming into contact with the attacker via a follow through.
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It was a performance that was testimony to his strength of character as much as his ability, and what a joy it must have been for Kinsky to hear his name echoing around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Yahoo SportsThis article was originally published on www.hotspurhq.com as Antonin Kinsky sealed one of Tottenham's most important decisions.
5 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 BBC Sport Former Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock has said VAR is the "worst thing that has been introduced to the game", while ex-England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has said football's emotion is being drained by technology.
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02 The Guardian Sport QUOTE OF THE DAY “Wrighty’s journey goes far beyond football – it’s about resilience, family and believing in yourself against the odds. He’s inspired generations on and off the pitch” – Stormzy has anounced he is to produce a biopic of former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England striker Ian Wright.
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03 Yahoo Sports Antonin Kinsky is the obvious No. 1 Clearly, Kinsky is a better No. 1 goalkeeper than Guglielmo Vicario, and while Roberto De Zerbi does seem to like the Italian international and has implied that he would still be the No. 1 choice keeper, that definitely cannot be the case anymore, if it ever was.
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04 Sky Sports Leeds were awarded the penalty after VAR advised Gillett to look at the monitor to review Tel's high boot while attempting to clear the ball with an overhead kick, which caught Ethan Ampadu in the head.
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05 CBS Sports And yet still this result was better than it might have been. Crucially it was better than West Ham's. Whether it was good enough, well that might not be a question we can answer until the season is over.
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