Premier League Release Clarification After Outcry Over ‘Disgraceful’ Newcastle Penalty vs Spurs
Tottenham supporters were left furious after Newcastle were awarded a penalty during the 2-2 draw at St James’ Park, and the Premier League has now explained the reasoning behind the decision.
Bruno Guimaraes put Newcastle ahead in the 71st minute, but Cristian Romero quickly pulled Spurs level. Around ten minutes later, VAR advised referee Thomas Bramall to check the pitchside monitor after spotting Rodrigo Bentancur and Dan Burn grappling during a Newcastle corner.
Although both players appeared to be holding onto each other before falling to the ground, the referee judged Bentancur’s contact to be enough to award a penalty, a call that stunned both Tottenham players and fans.
Premier League Explains the Penalty Call
The Premier League later detailed the decision on their Match Centre account on X, confirming that VAR prompted the referee to overturn the original non-penalty ruling.
Their statement read: “After review, Tottenham’s number 30 commits a holding offence at the back post and is clearly not focused on the ball. The final decision is a penalty.”
Despite Bramall deciding the incident met the threshold for a spot kick, many were baffled. Jamie Carragher called it “harsh” on Sky Sports commentary, while Rio Ferdinand went even further on social media, branding the decision “disgraceful” and criticising both the VAR official and the referee.
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon converted the penalty to restore the home side’s lead late on, but Romero struck again shortly after, hooking an improvised bicycle-kick effort into the net after Aaron Ramsdale failed to deal cleanly with a corner.
Neither team could find a winner in the closing minutes, though Spurs may feel aggrieved by the controversial call. Speaking post-match, Kevin Danso admitted the decision felt “tough” on Tottenham, pointing to the ongoing inconsistency in how referees judge holding during set pieces.
“It’s frustrating,” he said. “Some weeks it’s given, some weeks it’s not. All we can do is stay focused and keep performing the way we did today.”
