Mourinho slams referee Michael Oliver after dubious penalty call in Arsenal vs Tottenham
According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has hit out at referee Michael Oliver over a dubious penalty call after his side lost 2-1 to Arsenal in the Premier League.
Tottenham took on their arch-rivals Arsenal at the Emirates and had taken the lead through Erik Lamela in the first half. However, Martin Odegaard managed to level things up just before half-time.
Post the half-time break, Arsenal managed to pull ahead courtesy of an Alexandre Lacazette penalty. The Frenchman went down in the box after he had scuffed his attempted shot, making contact with Davinson Sanchez who was diving in to clear the ball. Not getting the best view of what went on, referee Oliver decided to award Arsenal a penalty when there was nothing there.
Were Arsenal 'lucky' to get their match-winning penalty? Was Erik Lamela harshly sent off?
Players, managers, and the Sky Sports pundits have their say…
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 14, 2021
Surprisingly, VAR Paul Tierney upheld the decision without even asking Oliver to check the pitchside monitor and get a view of the incident from clearer angles. Lacazette made no mistake from the spot to win it for his side and admitted post-match that he was lucky to be awarded the spot-kick in the first place. (h/t Mirror)
“We are lucky to get the penalty, I think.”
And speaking after the game, Mourinho slammed the decision, while also hinting that decisions always go against him when Oliver is officiating a game.
“I don’t want to call it a penalty, because is an offence to the penalty. That was a mistake by Oliver. Players get tired, coaches get tired, maybe referees get tired too. My record with Michael Oliver on penalties with Chelsea, United and Tottenham is unlucky.”
Classic Jose Mourinho. pic.twitter.com/XAoSyXWOIS
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 14, 2021
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Following the disappointment of the derby defeat, Tottenham must look to quickly bounce back in midweek against Dinamo Zagreb where a place in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final will be at stake.