"This was a defining decision" - Mark Clattenburg delivers honest verdict on penalty and red card incident during Arsenal vs Tottenham
Football referee Mark Clattenburg has weighed in on some of the key decisions taken during Tottenham Hotspur's 3-0 win over Arsenal in the Premier League on Thursday night. One particular decision that Clattenburg has given his opinion on is the penalty awarded for Spurs' first goal.
Spurs secured a vital win in their bid for a fourth-place finish and now sit just a point behind the Gunners in the league table with just two games remaining. Both sides contested another lively north London derby but it was fraught with decisions that didn't go down well with the visitors, starting with a penalty.
Cedric Soares shoved Son Heung-min inside the area, conceding a spot-kick which Harry Kane converted to put the hosts in front.
Tottenham were awarded a penalty after a foul on Heung-min Son by Cedric Soares. Should that have been a penalty? #letstalk #TOTARS https://t.co/dhX5A9sfJd
Clattenburg, who's officiated almost 300 Premier League games, felt it was soft contact but Paul Tierney was still right in giving it a penalty.
In his column for the Daily Mail, he wrote:
"This was a defining decision in a match with so much riding on the result and I'm not sure I would have given this. Technically, Paul Tierney wasn't wrong."
"We were shown a replay of what the referee could see from behind and it looked like a nudge in the back from Cedric Soares on Son Heung-min."
"But if we're going to give this as a penalty, I could find plenty of other examples when the same 'foul' has occurred in the box in other games."
Implying that such decisions don't always lead to a penalty, he further added:
"The inconsistency is frustrating because when this happens next week in another Premier League game, will it be given? Maybe. Maybe not. Unfortunately for Arsenal, Tierney considered it a clear foul and Harry Kane said thank you very much."
With two games to go, Spurs have closed the gap with the Gunners to secure a top four place by virtue of this win. They have Burnley and Norwich City to play as their remaining games, while Arsenal will play Newcastle United and Everton.
Clattenburg felt Arsenal star was rightfully sent off
Arsenal's night went from bad to worse after Rob Holding was sent off in the 33rd minute when they were already trailing 1-0.
He first went into the books for dragging down Son and then quickly saw a second yellow for a cynical block on the Spurs star.
Bad to WORSE for Arsenal... RED CARD 🟥
Rob Holding catches Son and gets a second yellow! https://t.co/Y0j6VHvPfd
Both seemed legitimate calls and Clattenburg slammed the Arsenal defender for his stupidity. The 47-year-old added (as seen in the aforementioned report):
"Holding had already been fouling Son prior to receiving his first yellow, almost targeting the Spurs forward in a running battle."
"Although referees allow a degree of feistiness in these derbies, Tierney finally lost patience with Holding and booked him for his third foul on Son, this time for pulling back his opponent."
Reflecting further on Holding's "naivety", he wrote:
"Given he was already on a yellow, it was therefore stupid of Holding to block Son's run using an elevated arm."
"Antonio Conte's teams love making it so that the referee has decisions to make. Holding fell for it hook, line and sinker, and his naivety sank Arsenal."