Another VAR Storm: Spurs Star Denied Penalty Hours After Mateta Red Card Drama
Tottenham supporters were left questioning another refereeing call in Saturday’s Premier League win over Crystal Palace, after Mathys Tel appeared to be denied a penalty. Roberto De Zerbi’s side still ran out comfortable 2-0 winners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, thanks to goals from Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke. But the debate around referee Michael Oliver and VAR continued, with the Tel incident involving Oscar Mingueza coming shortly before the break.
The timing made it especially notable, as Palace were already down to ten men after Jean-Philippe Mateta’s red card earlier in the half. Spurs had controlled the game since then and took the lead in the 25th minute, when Gray headed in a fine Mohammed Kudus corner. They kept pushing for a second, and believed they should have had a penalty when Tel appeared to be grappled by Mingueza in the Palace box.
Home fans appealed, but Oliver waved play on, and VAR did not recommend a review. The Guardian’s live commentary described the appeals as fairly half-hearted, though the moment still added to an afternoon full of talk about the officials.
The contrast with the Mateta decision made it more striking. Just over half an hour earlier, Oliver had first shown Mateta only a yellow for a dangerous sliding challenge that caught Micky van de Ven on the heel and Achilles with his studs. VAR official Jarred Gillett advised a review, and after watching the footage Oliver upgraded it to a straight red for serious foul play. That left Pierre Sage’s men with a huge task against a Tottenham side keen to make the extra man count.
The two situations were not identical, of course. A penalty depends on whether a defender committed an offence under the Laws of the Game, while VAR can only step in for a clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident. Even so, VAR changing one decision and staying silent on the other will keep supporters talking about consistency in English refereeing.
Spurs eventually got their second in the 73rd minute. Van Hecke’s header was pushed onto the crossbar by Dean Henderson, and he reacted fastest to nod in the rebound. It was a third straight Premier League win for De Zerbi, whose team has improved steadily after a difficult start to the season.
For Palace, it was a damaging defeat. Sage’s players showed real determination for most of the game with ten men, but could not stop Tottenham taking all three points. It was their third consecutive league loss and dropped the Eagles into the relegation zone.
Mateta’s dismissal will dominate the post-match discussion, but Tel’s penalty shout adds another incident to examine. Whether Oliver and VAR were right to let play continue is open to debate, but the afternoon was another reminder of how quickly officiating decisions can become the main talking point.
