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“The referee needed to have a second look at this incident and had he done that he would in my opinion have ruled Tottenham goal out”- Ex-FIFA referee and PGMOL chief Hackett admitted referee make a crucial error which could have lead penalty against Hoffenheim
Tottenham were fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty against Hoffenheim in their Europa League match on Thursday, according to Keith Hackett.
The Lilywhites secured a vital 3-2 victory in Germany on January 23, but there was controversy when Rodrigo Bentancur appeared to handle the ball just before Son Heung-min scored the second goal.
Although VAR reviewed the incident, it opted not to recommend an on-field review, much to the frustration of the home side.
Hackett believes the referee should have been asked to review the potential handball and would have likely ruled out the goal had he done so.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, the former FIFA referee and PGMOL chief acknowledged that a mistake may have occurred before the second goal.
“Hoffenheim have a valid complaint. I believe the Spurs player used his left hand/arm to propel the ball forward,” Hackett said.
“I strongly feel that VAR should have advised the referee to go to the monitor for a review.”
Hackett added, “The referee needed to take a second look at the incident, and if he had, I believe he would have disallowed the goal.”
Despite the controversy, it was a crucial win for Ange Postecoglou and his future in North London, even with the tense finish.
With automatic progression to the Europa League’s Round of 16 secured, along with a semi-final lead over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, things could begin to improve for the manager.
Chairman Daniel Levy is backing the Australian despite just one win in the last 10 Premier League matches, and moments of luck like this were certainly needed.
In other Tottenham news, Jamie O’Hara discusses Postecoglou’s job security ahead of their trip to Hoffenheim.
