Premier League Issue Explanation for Controversial Penalty in Newcastle vs Spurs 2-2 Draw
Tottenham fans were furious after Newcastle were awarded a penalty in their 2–2 draw at St James’ Park, prompting the Premier League to explain the decision.
Bruno Guimarães opened the scoring for Newcastle in the 71st minute, but Cristian Romero quickly equalised. Ten minutes later, VAR advised referee Thomas Bramall to review an incident in the box after spotting a tussle between Rodrigo Bentancur and Dan Burn during a Newcastle corner.
Although both players appeared to be holding each other as they fell, Bramall concluded that Bentancur had committed enough of a holding offence to justify a penalty — a call that stunned Spurs players and supporters.
Premier League Explanation
On their Match Centre on X, the Premier League stated that VAR’s review led the referee to overturn his initial decision. The referee’s announcement read: “After review, Tottenham number 30 commits a holding offence at the back post and is not looking at the ball. My final decision is a penalty kick.”
The verdict sparked strong reactions. Jamie Carragher called it “harsh” on Sky Sports, while Rio Ferdinand went as far as calling it “disgraceful” in a social media post, criticising both the VAR officials and Bramall.
Aftermath of the Decision
Anthony Gordon converted the penalty to restore Newcastle’s lead, but Romero later grabbed his second goal with a looping bicycle-kick effort after Aaron Ramsdale’s attempted punch. The match ended level, though Tottenham players felt aggrieved by what they viewed as an inconsistent application of the rules. Newcastle’s Kevin Danso also commented that the decision seemed “tough” on Spurs, pointing to ongoing inconsistency around holding fouls during set pieces in the Premier League.
