{"id":244,"date":"2026-02-25T19:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T19:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=244"},"modified":"2026-02-25T19:00:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T19:00:48","slug":"north-london-derby-referee-stands-by-decision-to-rule-out-tottenham-equaliser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=244","title":{"rendered":"North London derby referee stands by decision to rule out Tottenham equaliser"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"Gabriel<\/span><\/div>\n

Justin Setterfield \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The referee who disallowed a Tottenham Hotspur equaliser in Sunday\u2019s north London derby has said he is \u201ccomfortable\u201d with the decision to chalk off Randal Kolo Muani\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n

Peter Bankes awarded Arsenal a free kick for a Kolo Muani push on Gabriel after the France striker thought he had scored for the second time in the match.<\/p>\n

The goal would have levelled the game at 2-2 in the second half, but Arsenal quickly scored for a third time and went on to win 4-1.<\/p>\n

Several pundits have questioned Bankes\u2019 decision, with Danny Murphy and Shay Given pointing out that similar incidents \u2013 including a Hugo Ekitike push on Spurs\u2019 Cristian Romero before scoring for Liverpool in December \u2014 have gone unpunished this season during Match of the Day\u2019s coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Match Officials Mic\u2019d Up<\/em><\/a>Bankes said: \u201cI see two hands from the Tottenham player into the back of the Arsenal player and that is going to be my main focus. Once you see two hands in live play, it looks like a push, a clear push.<\/p>\n

\u201cI delayed the whistle so that the play could continue, then obviously gave my final decision once the ball had gone into the goal and that allows the VAR then to potentially check if I\u2019ve misread something or if it doesn\u2019t quite look right. But on field it looked a very, very clear offence.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Peter Bankes told Conor Gallagher that Kolo Muani\u2019s push on Gabriel was a \u201cclear foul\u201d (Catherine Ivill \u2013 AMA\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sky Sports\u2019 ref cam footage<\/a> showed Bankes telling Spurs players Micky van de Ven and Conor Gallagher that \u201cit was a clear foul, end of\u201d, and the video assistant referee confirmed his on-field decision after reviewing the replays.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, different speeds can make things look different,\u201d Bankes added.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn slow motion, it can look different to what you see live,\u201d he added. \u201cI get one look at it, and I was more than happy that the two hands on the back had enough impact and was an offence. I understand there\u2019s going to be split opinions on it, but for me I\u2019m still comfortable that is enough for a free kick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The defeat has left Tottenham four points above the relegation zone while Arsenal pulled four points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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