That was how I felt as well. Although I was happy to settle with a point, I felt like if anyone was going to score a winner then it was us. The Doku shot was a heart in mouth moment for sure, and I let out a manic laugh how the ball bounced straight off the post and into Kelleher's hands for safety.
As for the penalty incident, that's just another one of those inexplicable decisions where you feel the ref and VAR team thinking, "shite I don't want to decide this massive game with a last minute penalty". Rules be damned when you're terrified of the narrative. It wouldn't surprise me if they still had half a mind on the ridiculous furor over the Forest-drop-ball-non-incident.
I feel like I’m shouting to the void, but that decision was all down to Howard Webb.
Even before he took over he was saying how he disliked VAR and wanted to stop it re refereeing games.
What exactly did he mean? Well he was such an arrogant prick as a referee, overrated by the FA and media in their desire to have a world class ref like Collina, his ego couldn’t stand someone saying “you may have made an error…”
He was given the World Cup final, and we all know what happened.
Imagine him being asked to go to the monitor because despite the fact he had a perfectly clear view of the “challenge” on Alonso, Webb shit his shorts at the thought of “ruining the spectacle”, and VAR as it was last season would have asked him to review his own error. As if!
This season we have seen VAR make horrendous errors, not getting involved or when they do get involved the ref feeling that “the bar” set by Webb is so high they must have screwed up. I think the Spurs game was a clear example of the indecision Webb has created. He loves the fact that he can go on TV with Owen and present as the great arbitrator of the laws of the game and explain to us mere mortals who have watched the game for 50 years that we know nothing, becaue it’s now all down to his interpretation of the laws.
This mess he has created is great for pundits, but is such shite, even our fans are able to try and justify Doku’s challenge on here.
Step away, go read Law 12 and then find the multiple phrases that fit that challenge.
Jumping at an opponent, Doku had both feet off the ground at point of contact
Kicking an opponent - he straightened his leg into Macca
Recklessly endangers an opponent
Need I go on.
Webb is a gift for the 24hr pundits. He keeps Gallagher and Mike Dean in cushy jobs trying to cover the madness, he allows Carragher and the rest to spout what are basically inventions about getting the ball first, or he was looking at the ball (which was on Maccas chest).
Webb should be sacked, but to do that would mean the FA admitting their poster boy is not up to the job
