In the final minute of Tottenham’s clash against Newcastle United, the Magpies were awarded a controversial handball after a VAR review.
Eric Dier was judged to have handled the ball after a header from Andy Carroll, but replays show that the defender absolutely didn’t intend to do so.
Dier had his back to the ball, of course the England international’s arms would be raised when he attempted to challenge Carroll in the air – but this was by no means intentional.
Callum Wilson stepped up and salvaged a point for Steve Bruce’s side, leading to Jose Mourinho storming off the pitch and down to tunnel – who can blame the Portuguese gaffer after that?
?? Tottenham vs Newcastle | Jose Mourinho reaction to Newcastle getting a penalty #TOTNEW pic.twitter.com/XVG39v2yeW
— D9INE | (LIVE) Tottenham 1-1 Newcastle (@D9INE_ELITE_6) September 27, 2020
Pictures from NBC Sports Soccer.
With other game-defining handball calls in Crystal Palace’s defeat to Everton and West Brom’s draw to Chelsea this weekend, it’s clear that the handball rules need overhauling.
IFAB’s rules clearly need tinkering, but the Premier League appear to be well behind Europe’s other top divisions when it comes to handling incidents like this.