In a thrilling showdown between Tottenham and Chelsea, football pundit Gary Neville weighed in on the VAR madness that unfolded during the match. The game, which took place in North London, saw an eventful first half filled with drama and debate.
Tottenham’s Cristian Romero found himself on the wrong end of a red card, leaving the home side with ten players. This decision followed a chaotic opening 30 minutes in which Tottenham initially dominated, taking an early lead through a deflected strike by Dejan Kulusevski.
However, it was a subsequent series of events that drew the attention of both fans and pundits. Firstly, Destiny Udogie made a two-footed tackle on Raheem Sterling, challenging for the ball while off the ground. While Udogie did make contact with the ball and very little of Sterling, Neville considered this tackle controversial and potentially worthy of a red card.
Neville commented, “That tackle was about 15-20 years ago, and I think that is the classic red card. I think he may get away with it because he gets the ball, but that’s a shocker that – you don’t do that anymore, or ever did because you knew you were going to be in trouble.”
The drama continued as Chelsea thought they had equalized through Raheem Sterling, only for the goal to be disallowed due to a handball in the build-up. Moments before Sterling’s involvement, Levi Colwill was subjected to a lash out from Romero, further adding to the VAR controversy.
The match highlighted the ongoing debate surrounding VAR and refereeing decisions in football, leaving fans and experts alike with plenty to discuss and dissect.
