Spurs unlucky with both non-goals at Southampton, says Mark Halsey with ex ref suggesting offside call went against PGMOL directive

Tottenham will be disappointed that Fraser Forster’s own goal wasn’t allowed to stand.

Matt Doherty tried to connect with Harry Winks’ cross but the Southampton keeper moved into his space, spilled the ball as the pair collided and it rebounded into his own net.

Referee Anthony Taylor made a subjective decision and disallowed the goal because he deemed Forster had been fouled, but I felt it was a generous call.

There was major doubt that Forster even had control of the ball between his hands.

VAR official Martin Atkinson decided it was not a clear and obvious error so the on-field decision remained.

Spurs were also unlucky when Harry Kane had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside.

There didn’t seem to be a gap between the two lines of Kane’s armpit and Jan Bednarek’s foot, and it is disappointing to see goals like this disallowed.

Mike Riley did say in the summer that goals of this nature would be given the benefit of the doubt but, as we’ve seen many times before from the head of PGMOL, nothing is ever as it seems.

It’s about time that the men in the middle started to get these decisions correct.

Week in and week out now we are seeing the most basic of mistakes from either the on-pitch officials or those in the VAR room at Stockley Park.

It just isn’t good enough.

Ask yourself, why don’t we ever hear from referees or PGMOL delegates as to why certain, baffling, decisions have been made, and haven’t done ever since VAR was introduced?

Former Premier League and FIFA referee Mark Halsey is a columnist for CaughtOffside.com