Premier League legends Roy Keane and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were left completely shocked by Serge Aurier after the full-back conceding a costly penalty for Tottenham against Leicester.
Right on the brink of halftime, Aurier recklessly knocked over the Foxes’ big-money summer recruit Wesley Fofana, despite the defender and the ball seemingly moving away from the box.
Referee Craig Pawson reviewed the incident on the pitch-side VAR monitor, ultimately pointing to the spot. Jamie Vardy made no mistake as he punished Jose Mourinho’s side with a tidy spot-kick.
Hasselbaink and Keane, who are serving as pundits for Sky Sports today, blasted the decision, the Dutchman labelled it a ‘rugby tackle’ while the Irishman branded it a ‘madness’.
FOXES STRIKE ON STROKE OF HALF-TIME ?
Jamie Vardy makes no mistake from the spot, after Serge Aurier is penalised for a reckless shove.
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Jimmy ? “There are no words for that, it’s a rugby tackle”
Roy ? “There is a word, madness”
Roy Keane & @jf9hasselbaink are amazed at Serge Aurier’s challenge to concede a penalty pic.twitter.com/jqfdi8c0V6
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Pictures from Sky Sports.
Hasselbaink: “There are no words for that, that’s a rugby tackle. it’s a rugby tackle.”
Keane: “There is a word Jimmy, madness.”
Hasselbaink: “Yeah, here you go.”
Keane: “Madness, I want to be careful what I say about this defender, I’ve been on this road before.”
Aurier’s decision just looks completely foolish, the right-back should’ve backed himself when facing up against a central defender, there really was no need for a foul here.
Yes the tackle from Aurier may have been ill judged – but to state it was a rugby tackle is just plain ridiculous itself – Roy Keane is by and large a brutal critic who set the most impossible standards on players whilst never actually adhering to those high standards of discipline himself. His comments are so often severe and harsh, and in many ways,cross a line of integral analysis, becoming closer to being almost personal and insulting in nature, in truth he is a hostile man with anger issues that much is obvious from his professional playing days as well as his stints in managerial and punditry roles. Aurier may have made a mistake but he is hardly to blame for Tottenham’s loss here. Spurs were second in every aspect of the game today, in a game where Leicester simply put us to the sword with hard work, belief and self endeavor we got it very wrong as a team and in our tactics and that is the simple truth of it.