Retired Refereeing Chief Backs Officials Over Contentious Penalty Incident in Leeds United vs Spurs Clash
A former head of the PGMOL has weighed in on a disputed refereeing decision from Monday’s 1-1 draw between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur, siding with the match officials who waved away a late penalty appeal.
Spurs came into the game under pressure following West Ham’s failure to take points off Arsenal the previous day, and made a bright start. Despite Karl Darlow keeping out a clear chance, Roberto De Zerbi’s side eventually broke through via Mathys Tel early in the second half — only for the young forward to then concede a penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted to level things up.
The controversy didn’t end there. Late in the match, James Maddison went to ground inside the Leeds box under pressure from striker Lukas Nmecha. Referee Jarred Gillett allowed play to continue, and VAR chose not to intervene after alternative camera angles suggested Nmecha had made contact with the ball before Maddison fell.
Former PGMOL head Keith Hackett told Football Insider he felt the officials handled the situation correctly, arguing that the defender played the ball and that the attacker — who was not in possession — went down too readily. In his view, it was the right call.
Despite the draw, Leeds arguably did enough in the second half to deserve more, registering more attempts and creating better opportunities than their opponents. Only a strong display from Spurs goalkeeper Anton Kinsky kept them at bay. Daniel Farke’s side still have two games remaining to climb further up the table, and regardless of how the season ends, it has broadly been considered a successful campaign given where things stood at the start.
