Tottenham captain Cristian Romero left no doubt about his opinion after the 2-2 draw with Newcastle. Spurs needed a point from their Premier League clash with the Magpies at St James’ Park on Tuesday night. Bruno Guimarães put Newcastle ahead in the 71st minute, before Romero equalized for Thomas Frank’s side moments later.
Anthony Gordon then restored Newcastle’s advantage from the penalty spot in the dying minutes, but Romero’s second goal in stoppage time with a superb overhead kick gave Tottenham a point. Spurs were furious at the penalty awarded to Newcastle after a VAR review at St James’ Park.
Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was ruled to have pinned down Newcastle defender Dan Byrne during a corner kick, but the incident was initially not discovered until referee Thomas Bramall was instructed by VAR officials to look at the pitchside monitor at Stockley Park.
Naturally, the upset became one of the key talking points of the match, with Romero expressing his displeasure after the final whistle. On X (formerly Twitter), Romero shared a post by Rio Ferdinand condemning the decision to award Newcastle a penalty.
“Disgraceful decision to reward (Newcastle’s) penalty,” Ferdinand wrote. “Whoever is in control of VAR should be ashamed and the referee will review afterwards and should be ashamed. Well done Newcastle,” Romero posted his thoughts to his 318,000 X followers after sharing Ferdinand’s message.
“It’s all about working hard, getting better, and moving forward,” Romero wrote in “X.” “Especially now, when things don’t go our way, we have to stick together. As always, we thank all the fans we’ll see at home on Saturday for all their support.”
Meanwhile, Frank explained his belief that Newcastle’s penalty claim should not have been granted, and Tottenham manager claimed he felt VAR should not have been involved.
“And it’s very disappointing to concede the second goal, because for me it was never a penalty,” Frank said. “I spoke to some of the guys at Newcastle and they didn’t think it was a penalty.
“And we need consistency because that penalty is given twice in one game. And I think the referee’s decision on the pitch nailed it. And VAR can only do it if it’s clear and obvious.”
