The roar of the crowd still echoes with controversy after last weekend’s North London Derby, specifically surrounding a disallowed goal that could have dramatically altered the course of the match. Randal Kolo Muani believed he’d leveled the score, but referee Peter Bankes swiftly waved it off, a decision he now staunchly defends.
Arsenal ultimately secured a convincing 4-1 victory, reigniting their title challenge. However, the game hung in the balance, and the disallowed goal sparked immediate outrage from Tottenham supporters, recalling a similar incident earlier in the season where a questionable call went their way.
Bankes, speaking on a broadcast, explained his perspective. He was positioned to observe crosses from the right and immediately focused on what he perceived as a clear two-handed push by the Tottenham player into the back of the Arsenal defender. He deliberately delayed his whistle, allowing play to continue, hoping for absolute clarity.
“Once you see two hands in live play, it looks like a push, a clear push,” Bankes stated. He emphasized that the VAR review offered no evidence to overturn his on-field judgment, reinforcing his confidence in the call. The initial view, he felt, was definitive.
He acknowledged the potential for differing interpretations, particularly when reviewing footage at varying speeds. Slow-motion replays can distort perceptions, he argued, making actions appear more forceful than they felt in the heat of the moment. Despite this, he remained resolute: two hands on the back constituted a foul.
That explanation has done little to appease Tottenham fans, or seasoned football manager Sam Allardyce, who labeled the decision a “massive error.” Allardyce believes the disallowed goal could have shifted the momentum entirely, potentially unraveling Arsenal’s composure.
Allardyce went further, suggesting the Arsenal defender should have been cautioned for simulation, pointing to the frequent physicality allowed during corner kicks. He condemned both the referee’s initial call and the VAR’s subsequent validation as “outrageously bad” and “really, really poor.”
The incident highlights the razor-thin margins that define elite football and the enduring debate surrounding the interpretation of physical contact. It’s a decision that will undoubtedly be dissected and debated for weeks to come, leaving a lingering sense of injustice for those in Tottenham colors.
