Newcastle 2–2 Spurs: Former refereeing chief breaks silence on disputed penalty decision
Newcastle United’s 2–2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur ended in late drama thanks to Cristian Romero’s stunning 95th-minute overhead kick, but the turning point came ten minutes earlier when Eddie Howe’s side were handed a controversial penalty. Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has now weighed in on the decision.
With Spurs winless since November 4, Thomas Frank’s team looked set for another setback after Newcastle went ahead in the 71st minute through Bruno Guimarães’ composed finish. Romero, pushed up front as an emergency striker, beat Dan Burn to equalise. Then, in the 84th minute, substitute Anthony Gordon buried a spot-kick that many inside St James’ Park felt would secure all three points—only for Romero to rescue Tottenham deep into stoppage time following Aaron Ramsdale’s punched clearance.
Hackett reacts to the penalty call in Newcastle 2–2 Spurs
Fans both in the stadium and online were stunned when referee Thomas Bramall awarded Newcastle a penalty after being called to the pitchside monitor. With the score at 1–1, Guimarães swung in a cross that Pedro Porro helped on its way, and VAR judged that Rodrigo Bentancur had grappled with Dan Burn in the box. After reviewing the footage, Bramall explained: “Tottenham number 30 commits a holding offence and isn’t looking at the ball. My final decision is a penalty.”
Gordon scored, leaving many Spurs supporters furious, arguing that the contact was minimal and not worthy of a spot-kick. Rio Ferdinand called it a “disgraceful decision” on X, saying both VAR and the referee should be ashamed. Another fan posted the clip claiming “you can’t give this,” to which Hackett replied that Bentancur was holding Burn, making the referee’s decision correct.
Despite both sides ending up with only a point, Tottenham felt particularly aggrieved. Jamie Carragher labelled the decision “harsh” on Sky Sports, and Spurs defender Kevin Danso highlighted the inconsistency of officiating: “Some weeks it’s given, some weeks it isn’t.”
Managers respond
Replays showed Bentancur with his arms around Burn as the cross was delivered, although Burn continued moving forward before the pair ended up on the ground. Spurs boss Thomas Frank told BBC Sport it was “an absolute mistake from VAR.” Howe, however, felt the opposite after viewing the replay post-match: “The defender isn’t looking at the ball at all, only at Dan. I think it’s probably the right call.”
