Tottenham were held to a 1-1 draw against Leeds United.
Tottenham had been playing some splendid games of late, and that is where the North Londoners found a way to pick up six points in two games before Roberto De Zerbi & Co. went on to draw against Leeds United at the weekend.
Those shared points mean the table opens up again with West Ham still within catching distance for that final relegation spot. But that 1-1 draw against Daniel Farke’s side came with its share of controversy, with Tottenham possibly on the receiving side for a penalty decision that went against the hosts.
James Maddison penalty controversy
Returning James Maddison was on a drive in the box late on in the game when Felix Nmecha came into a challenge with him, and the former ended up on the ground. Referee Jarred Gillett was quick in his decision to wave away the appeal for a spot kick. And then VAR got involved, but they had to spend barely 20 seconds reviewing the one made by Gillet and standing by it.
The original conclusion by the ref was that Nmecha had made contact with the ball, and that is why no penalty was given. But new footage contradicts that conclusion, so much so that even a former West Ham man agrees that Tottenham should have had a penalty.
Don Hutchison speaks out on Tottenham penalty decision
This is why I show no bias what so ever. Maddison is the one that touches the ball to the side,not the defender. Pen all day long IMO https://t.co/T3LKE5pRM2
— Don Hutchison (@donhutch4) May 13, 2026
Once a West Ham United midfielder, Don Hutchison, who surely has no reason to favour Tottenham, took to X to insist that the late penalty appeal for that James Maddison challenge vs Leeds on Monday was a clear spot-kick, with Maddison getting the last touch on the ball.
Hutchison shared a video on social media that shows Maddison making contact with the ball with the outside of his boot when Nmecha was challenging him, and it also shows that the Leeds man did not make any contact with the ball at all but only got hold of Maddison’s foot.
Hutchison, taking to X (formerly Twitter), wrote:
“This is why I show no bias what so ever. Maddison is the one that touches the ball to the side,not the defender. Pen all day long IMO”
Maddison also went public after the game criticising the VAR in an Instagram post that can have him fined.
Probably the most harmful factor regarding the whole story is the inconsistency of VAR. The case of Arsenal winning 1-0 against West Ham last Sunday involved reviewing that foul on Raya for almost five minutes, and we also saw how they ended up considering a few perspectives before announcing what in the end was a right decision. But then it took them just around 20 seconds to review Maddison’s situation.
Do you think VAR should be blamed for the wrong penalty call? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.