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On December 02, 2025, Tottenham faced Newcastle United in the Premier League, which resulted in a 2-2 draw. Cristian Romero's injury-time goal helped Spurs secure the one point from the match after the Magpies were awarded a controversial penalty in the 86th minute.

Referee Thomas Bramall was sent to the pitch-side monitor after VAR noticed Tottenham player Rodrigo Bentancur holding back Dan Burn during the host side's corner. It looked like a tussle between two players as they both fell to the ground. While a penalty was initially denied, the visitors were punished after the review.

In the post-match interview, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank criticised the decision and stated that it was a wrong decision and that this kind of tussle was common during corners.

Thomas Frank Believes Penalty Should Not Have Been Awarded

The Spurs boss shared that for him, it was not a penalty. Thomas Frank explained, "It was an absolute mistake from the VAR. The referee did good to do the ref call and they encourage the refereeing call on the pitch. For me, that is never a penalty."

He further added, "Even speaking to some from Newcastle don't think it's a penalty, and we need consistency. I think the referee's call on the pitch, he nailed it, and VAR can only be if it's clear and obvious."

Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, in his post-match interview, shared that the referee made the right call, as after reviewing it was noted that the Spurs defender was looking at Burn instead of the ball.

Premier League Clarifies Newcastle Penalty Decision

Premier League Match Centre shared on X (formerly Twitter) that Rodrigo Bentancur made a holding offence at the back post and was not seen looking at the ball, thus making the decision for a penalty final.