Sunderland vs Tottenham: Keith Hackett agrees as Premier League clarify Kolo Muani controversy
Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur's clash on Sunday involved a controversial penalty call with Randal Kolo Muani.
The Spurs forward went down under contract from Omar Alderete and Luke O'Nien, and referee Rob Jones initially gave the penalty.
However, a VAR check ruled out the potential chance for the Lilywhites to open the scoring, and the Premier League took to X to explain the reasoning.
They clarified the incident in a statement released on the Match Centre account on X on 12 April, saying: "After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of penalty to Tottenham Hotspur.
"Referee announcement: “After review, home 15 clearly plays the ball first, before any subsequent contact. Final decision is a drop ball to the goalkeeper. No penalty.”
Tottenham may feel aggrieved, but Keith Hackett believes that the justification is spot on.
What did Hackett say about Kolo Muani incident?
Kolo Muani has struggled for Tottenham so far this season, and he may have thought his luck was changing when he won the penalty.
The Ex-PGMOL chief agreed with the reasoning from the Premier League for why the penalty was overturned.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: "VAR process through James Bell was correct to intervene after Referee Rob Jones pointed to the penalty mark to award Spurs a spot kick.
"The intervention was correct, and the referee rightly overturned his decision."
What needs to change for Tottenham in the second half?
Roberto De Zerbi needs his side to perform much better in the second half, if they are to take all three points and escape the drop zone, where they find themselves after West Ham beat Wolves on Friday evening.
Spurs have had seven shots to the hosts' six, but the Stadium of Light side have had two big chances to one for the visitors, per Sofascore.
Regis Le Bris's side have made 152 accurate passes compared to Spurs' 133, and they have been more successful with their passes into the final third, 74 per cent to 53 per cent.
| Sunderland vs Tottenham stats | Sunderland | Tottenham |
| Shots | 6 | 7 |
| Big chances | 2 | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 152 | 133 |
| Passes into final third success | 74% | 53% |
De Zerbi needs to have a passionate team talk and remind his new players what they are fighting for, and what is at stake if they do not take the victory on a vital afternoon on Wearside.
If they fail to win, it will leave them in a very difficult position with just six matches left to play until everything is decided.
Right now, they have not threatened enough, considering all three of Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and Kolo Muani are on the pitch.