Premier League release official statement on Newcastle vs Tottenham controversy
It was the story of two halves for Tottenham during their Premier League showdown against Newcastle United, and the visitors were at the centre of some controversy.
Spurs were sluggish and lethargic in the first half, with Thomas Frank facing familiar problems, as his side failed to register a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes for the fourth successive match.
But once substitute Bruno Guimaraes slotted a superb finish past Guglielmo Vicario in the 71st minute, the game was sparked into life as Cristian Romero equalised with an incredible diving header shortly after.
Tottenham then thought they’d thrown away a point when Rodrigo Bentancur conceded a penalty after dragging down Dan Burn, with Anthony Gordon calmly finishing his chance.
However, an outrageous Romero overhead kick trickled past a stranded Aaron Ramsdale to give Spurs a priceless point.
Premier League clarify Newcastle vs Tottenham penalty incident
Romero stole the headlines with his superb goals as Tottenham drew 2-2 against Newcastle, although it was the penalty incident that drew the most controversy.
Bentancur had hold of the powerful Burn in the box, and he fell to the ground, with the referee Tom Bramall initially giving no penalty.
But once Bramall was ordered to look at the monitor by VAR, he adjudged that Bentancur wasn’t looking at the ball when making the challenge on Burn.
#NEWTOT – 82’ VAR OVERTURN
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) December 2, 2025
After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of no penalty to Newcastle United.
Referee announcement: “After review, Tottenham number 30 makes a holding offence at the back post and clearly does not look at the ball. My final…
In a message sent via their Match Centre account on X, the Premier League posted: “After review, Tottenham number 30 makes a holding offence at the back post and clearly does not look at the ball. My final decision is penalty kick.”
Bramall’s decision will have frustrated Spurs fans, perhaps feeling that both players were grabbing each other, although they will be pretty satisfied with a point.
Jamie Carragher’s verdict on penalty incident
After Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Fulham at the weekend, Frank would have ordered a response from his players, and it took until the second half for the visitors to showcase their character.
Tottenham failed to land a shot on target in the first period, and then scored with their only two shots on target in the second half.
Speaking on Sky Sports commentary, Jamie Carragher offered his verdict on the penalty incident, and he felt it was ‘harsh’ and was ‘surprised’ by the referee’s decision.
“I am surprised by that,” Carragher admitted. “This would be harsh. At the end, he is trying to get away from Burn.”
The Lilywhites will want to use this result as a catalyst to beat Brentford on Saturday, December 6.
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