Tottenham were held to a goalless draw by Brentford in a lifeless Premier League encounter, with Cristian Romero once again avoiding a red card after a VAR review.
The Premier League has since clarified why the Spurs defender was not sent off during Thursday night’s match at the Gtech Community Stadium. Thomas Frank returned to face his former club hoping to build on a narrow win over Crystal Palace, but the game ended without goals and offered little excitement.
The key talking point came in the second half when Romero escaped dismissal for a challenge on Igor Thiago that appeared to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity. Referee Andy Madley opted against showing a red card, and VAR reviewed the incident without overturning the decision. In a statement on the Premier League Match Centre X account, officials confirmed the original call stood because there was no “clear and obvious error.”
Romero had been involved in a similar incident against Thiago last month, when VAR also intervened after a robust tackle. On that occasion, the Argentine was shown a yellow card, with the challenge deemed reckless rather than dangerous.
After the latest draw, Brentford boss Keith Andrews criticised the decision, insisting Romero should have been sent off and claiming he was fortunate to avoid a red card in their previous meeting as well.
Brentford thought they had taken an early lead through Kevin Schade inside the opening 10 minutes, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Chances were scarce throughout, with neither side doing enough to claim victory. Spurs also appealed for a penalty after Archie Gray went down in the box, but both the referee and VAR rejected the claims.
Frank introduced Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel late on in search of a winner, but the substitutions failed to change the outcome.
The match also marked the first game Spurs played without last season’s top scorer Brennan Johnson, who is closing in on a £33.5 million move to Crystal Palace after reportedly completing his medical.
Johnson is understood to have been informed by Frank and sporting director Fabio Paratici on New Year’s Eve that he did not feature in the club’s long-term plans.
The stalemate summed up a frustrating night for both sides, as the contest never truly came to life.
