Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has issued his verdict on the incident between James Maddison and Ryan Yates on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur took all three points from the game on Sunday against Nottingham Forest in north London.
The win for Ange Postecoglou‘s side was enough to give them the keys to their top four destiny as they leapfrogged Aston Villa into fourth spot.
Timo Werner continued to impress at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and he provided another brilliant cross which led to the opening goal.
Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro both provided stunning strikes to regain Tottenham’s lead after the break as second half Spurs came out firing again.
Spurs had to battle away in the first half after taking the lead and even saw Chris Wood go inches away from putting Forest ahead before the break.
The two goals aside, there was one big talking point from the first 45 minutes with a coming together between Maddison and Yates.
It is a topic which has sparked a lot of controversy in the wake of the game in north London.
Gallagher issues honest verdict as Maddison seen punching Forest’s Ryan Yates
On the whole, it was a positive evening of football for the Lilywhites with a number of players putting in some really impressive performances.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg both came on at half-time and scored highly in The Spurs News’ player ratings.
However, there were some moments in the game which have caused referee Simon Hooper come under some scrutiny.
The main one being James Maddison‘s alleged punch on Forest player Ryan Yates.
READ MORE: Get to know Tottenham Hotspur’s dart-throwing, ink-plastered superstar James Maddison
Forest’s captain had been tasked with man-marking Maddison throughout the game and picked up an early yellow card for persistent fouling.
After giving away five fouls throughout the game, Yates admitted to the press he’d been asked to disrupt Tottenham’s momentum on the break.
“James Maddison is a good player. I know he makes them tick. It is my job to disrupt the momentum. A few decisions probably didn’t go our way, but we have seen the inconsistency in the Premier League this season.
But it was the Forest midfielder who felt hard done by at the end of the game after Maddison planted a light blow to the 26-year-old’s midriff.
Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Ref Watch, the former referee, Gallagher, admitted he felt Maddison was extremely fortunate not to have been sent for an early shower.
“The VAR came to the conclusion, his words and I quote verbatim was, ‘no evidence of violent conduct’. That’s his choice. What I would say is the referee has to be guided by him,” Gallagher said.
“The referee doesn’t see it quite clearly. VAR doesn’t send them to the screen, he has no choice. He can’t pick and go himself. So he doesn’t see that again. If he sees that again who knows what decision he would make.”
“I think he’s really lucky. I think if you do that on a football field and you get sent off, you haven’t got a leg to stand on.”
Roy Keane left furious with Ryan Yates in hilarious Sky Sports rant
Roy Keane has been no stranger to letting his honest opinion known and Sunday’s coverage of the game was no different.
The Irishman hailed Werner for his impact from the wing and even admitted he looks a real handful to play against.
And he spoke in Tottenham’s favour over the Maddison situation during Sky Sports‘ broadcast of the Spurs win.
“I know Yates is a nice lad but he does a lot of this, I don’t like the look of it. He’s asking the official to look at the VAR. There’s no need for it. He’s a tough boy, he likes to give it out. If you’re giving out you’ve got to take it. I think it’s a bit dramatic the way he goes down there. Get on with the game, just toughen up a little bit,” he said.
“I don’t see that as a punch. It’s a coming together, that’s the way I look at it.”