Robbie Keane has told Sky Sports that he thinks Tottenham Hotspur should have been awarded a penalty against West Ham United today.
It wasn’t the most thrilling first-half in north London as both sides struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Jarrod Bowen found himself with plenty of space on the edge of Tottenham’s penalty area inside the opening minute. But the Hammers star flashed his shot wide of Fraser Forster’s goal.
Spurs didn’t manage to break down a resilient West Ham defence during the first-half but they thought they should have been awarded a penalty inside the opening 15 minutes.
Richarlison attempted to play the ball through to Harry Kane, but the ball struck Thilo Kehrer’s arm as he attempted to challenge the Brazilian.
But much like the Tomas Soucek incident at Stamford Bridge last week, VAR decided against overturning the on-field decision.
And Keane says Tottenham have every right to feel aggrieved after the moment in the first-half.
Keane on Tottenham penalty incident
The former Spurs striker spoke about the incident at half-time on Sky Sports’ coverage of the London derby.
“I think this is a penalty. Obviously he’s falling down, but could he stay on his feet? He is very close, like I said if they’re not going to give last week’s penalty [Soucek], they’re definitely not going to give this,” Keane said.
He added: “I’d like to see these given. I think it needs to change, the law needs to change next year.”
Tottenham fans didn’t have much to get excited about during the first-half, but the north Londoners will rightly feel aggrieved after the penalty decision went against them.
Spurs did improve dramatically after the break as chances fell to both Harry Kane and Richarlison inside the first 10 minutes of the half.
Despite all of the attacking talent on the pitch, it was Emerson Royal who broke the deadlock with a calm finish after some brilliant work from Ben Davies down the left-hand side.
Heung-Min Son grabbed Tottenham’s second of the game after he was initially benched for Richarlison. The South Korean linked up with Harry Kane once again and Spurs will be hoping his display lifts his confidence.
Spurs needed a response after suffering back to back defeats over the past week and despite a slow first-half, they will be delighted with a 2-0 win over their London rivals.