adminRoberto De Zerbi was left furious at Elland Road after Leeds United defender Jayden Bogle escaped a red card following a dangerous challenge on Tottenham Hotspur winger Mathys Tel during their Premier League encounter.
The incident sparked huge controversy after Bogle caught Tel around the back of his Achilles with a reckless tackle, leaving the French youngster struggling with an injury.
Despite initially attempting to continue playing, Tel was eventually unable to carry on and was replaced by Dominic Solanke just two minutes before half-time.
Tottenham were left frustrated as they expected the Leeds defender to receive a straight red card. However, VAR official Tony Harrington reviewed the incident and concluded that the challenge did not meet the threshold for serious foul play.
According to the explanation provided by the officials, Bogle’s lack of speed when making the challenge and the manner in which he stepped into the tackle were important factors behind the decision to avoid a dismissal.
The Premier League Match Centre took to X at half-time to clarify why the Leeds defender was allowed to remain on the pitch.
Their statement read: “The referee’s call of no red card to Bogle for the challenge on Tel was checked and confirmed by VAR.”
The explanation from the VAR official added: “I’m confirming the on-field decision of no red card. There’s a lack of speed going into the challenge, and he’s stepping into the tackle. Confirming a reckless challenge.”
The decision became one of the biggest talking points of an eventful first half, which also featured another controversial VAR incident involving Leeds’ penalty appeals.
Leeds United believed they deserved a spot-kick after Tottenham midfielder Mateus Fernandes appeared to divert a cross with his arm while attempting to deal with the danger.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin immediately protested after Gabriel Gudmundsson’s cross was prevented from reaching him by the Spurs midfielder.
However, referee John Brooks showed no interest in awarding a penalty and allowed play to continue as the ball rolled back towards Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who was analysing the match for TNT Sports, felt Fernandes had been fortunate to escape punishment.
He said: “I will say in slow motion it doesn’t look good for him. It’s extremely close. I think he’s got away with one.”
Co-commentator Lucy Ward also shared her concerns about the midfielder’s positioning during the incident.
She commented: “He needs to be careful. He has his arm right out in an area. I’ve just looked at it, and it looks like it hits his shoulder.”
The incident generated plenty of debate among television and radio pundits, with different opinions emerging as further replays were shown.
Nevertheless, the match officials remained confident in their original assessment and refused to recommend an on-field review.
The Premier League Match Centre later released an official explanation, confirming that VAR had checked the incident and supported the referee’s decision not to award Leeds a penalty.
Their statement read: “The referee’s call of no penalty to Leeds United was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Fernandes did not commit a handball offence.”
The VAR explanation continued: “Confirming the on-field decision of play on. The ball strikes the very top of the arm as he is leaning – in the green zone.”
The ‘green zone’ refers to the area above the bottom of the armpit, commonly known as the T-shirt zone, where contact is generally not considered a handball offence.
With two major VAR decisions dominating the first half, the officiating became a major talking point, particularly after Tottenham lost Tel to injury following Bogle’s controversial challenge.
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