Another VAR controversy added to Tottenham’s frustrations during their Premier League match against Aston Villa, after Mohammed Kudus appeared to have finally broken the club’s Premier League goal drought.
In the 59th minute, Andy Robertson’s low cross was parried by Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki straight into Kudus’s path, and the Ghanaian reacted swiftly to tuck it in, setting off celebrations at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The joy didn’t last — VAR review found Robertson had been offside earlier in the build-up, and referee Sam Barrott was told to chalk off the goal. The Premier League Match Centre later confirmed that the check found Robertson offside in the lead-up to the goal.
The moment quickly became a major storyline given how badly Spurs needed to end their scoring drought, and the timing made it worse — the team was already behind and needed the goal to shift momentum, but instead stayed on the back foot. Things got worse before they got better: Villa extended their lead further before Tottenham mounted a late fightback through goals from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke. It wasn’t enough, though, as Villa held on for a 3-2 win, leaving Spurs still searching for their first league victory.
Expect the disallowed goal to keep generating discussion during the international break, especially among Tottenham fans questioning the offside call. Worth noting: the goal was ruled out because of Robertson’s position in the build-up, not anything Kudus did wrong himself — a distinction that matters for the broader debate over how the offside law is being applied.
Ultimately, though, the disallowed goal was just one piece of a rough afternoon for Spurs. Defensive lapses had already let Villa build a three-goal cushion before the late response arrived. With another tough international break ahead, scrutiny of De Zerbi and his costly summer rebuild is only intensifying.
