Tottenham star’s heated referee confrontation after Man City defeat could lead to FA trouble
Tottenham Hotspur’s recent run of good form came to an end as they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Manchester City at home.
Despite showing greater attacking intent in the second half, Erling Haaland’s early goal proved to be the match-winner, as Spurs failed to convert their chances.
The result saw Tottenham slip to 13th in the Premier League, deepening their struggles in the bottom half of the table.
However, a big talking point from the game came after the final whistle, when captain Heung-min Son was involved in a heated exchange with referee Jarred Gillett—an incident that could potentially be reviewed by the FA, as he was lucky to escape immediate disciplinary action following the heated interaction.
The incident came from a dramatic moment in stoppage time when Haaland thought he had doubled City’s lead, only for VAR to rule the goal out for handball after an extensive review. The prolonged delay. Once the referee blew the final whistle, several Spurs players, including Son, confronted Gillett in protest.
It remains unclear what the Tottenham players were complaining about, given that the disallowed goal ultimately benefited Spurs. However, it is possible they expected more added time due to the lengthy VAR review.
Ex-PGMOL chief says Tottenham star could be reported to the FA
Hackett defended Gillett’s handling of stoppage time, emphasising that referees have full authority over timekeeping. He questioned the need for such strong protests from Son, especially given that the disallowed goal ultimately benefited Tottenham.
He further suggested that Gillett coould include the incident in his match report, which could lead to further scrutiny from the FA.
Speaking to Tottenham News, Hackett said:
“Jarred Gillet has delivered two very good performances in recent days. His movement and maintaining contact with play throughout was excellent and his decision-making was made with confidence.
“His judgement about that handball and disallowed goal was perhaps the only point that I would make any comment about. He decided that a handball had taken place and ruled out a Man City goal.
“The Spurs players should look at themselves and I hope that the referee will include in his report the behaviour of Son, who was rather fortunate to escape a sanction for his clear and sustained protest.
“Did Son not see that a goal by Manchester City had been ruled out by Gillet?
“If he was protesting about the amount of time added on he should read Law 5. It states that the referee is the sole timekeeper.
“I feel Son was clutching at straws in this one.
“I would have liked Gillet to have shown him a yellow card in order for him to re-assert his authority.”
Spurs rue missed chances
While Tottenham might feel aggrieved over the final moments, their inability to capitalise on key opportunities ultimately decided the result.
Pape Matar Sarr had the golden chance to equalise in stoppage time but he headed his effort over the bar from point blank range. Similarly, the returning WIlson Odobert missed a chance to score ten minutes into the second half.
