Ex-refs chief: Craig Pawson exposed as Xavi Simons avoids sanction vs Aston Villa

Tottenham's FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa exposed Craig Pawson after the referee failed to punish Xavi Simons on Saturday.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Simons is gaining a reputation just months into his career in North London.

Thomas Frank could have just a few games left after being knocked out of the third round of the competition, losing 2-1 despite a late fightback against the Villans on 10 January.

Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers gave the visitors a first-half lead, and while Wilson Odobert netted just nine minutes into the second 45 minutes, it was nothing more than a consolation goal.

Unfortunately, much of the game was overshadowed by a difficult refereeing performance.

Xavi Simons gets away with early caution in North London

Boubacar Kamara suffered another injury just nine minutes into proceedings, but that was still after a crunching challenge from Simons inside the opening stages.

The Dutchman has only made two appearances since returning from his previous suspension, earning a red card for a studs-up challenge on Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk last month.

With three yellows and a red card to his name since arriving in England, there is a concern that Simons is struggling to deal with aggression away from Germany, especially after another reckless challenge.

However, the main issue raised in his situation is how Premier League referees were forced to officiate without the fallback option of VAR in the FA Cup. That was clear over the weekend.

Craig Pawson clearly missed the use of VAR in Tottenham vs Aston Villa

Hackett, exclusively speaking to Football Insider on The Final Whistle, said: "One thing in the FA Cup has been no VAR. There's been no lifebelt for the referees, so it exposes some of them.

"I've got to say, I don't think this referee had a particularly good game. This was a reckless challenge, which should have been sanctioned with a yellow card, and that liberal approach early on didn't pay any dividends.

"It's not the first time this player has done this type of action either. The PGMOL see this as a yellow card, but I think eventually they'll recognise that there are players on the bench and out injured, and something more serious needs to happen."