Tottenham victims of major injustice as Emerson Royal controversy analysed - pundit
Tottenham defender Emerson Royal should not have been sent off against Arsenal, according to Frank McAvennie.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former West Ham striker suggested there was no malice in the high tackle from the 23-year-old.
As shown on Match of the Day (1 October), Emerson was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor for a high challenge on Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli.
VAR official Jared Gillett briefly checked the decision but stuck with the on-field decision and Spurs went on to lose the game 3-1.
As quoted by Sky Sports after the game (1 October), Antonio Conte said English referees don't have the "same line" when making decisions.
When asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on the second-half incident at the Emirates, McAvennie said: "You don’t mean to do that. That's my understanding of it.
"Half of ex-players say it was a penalty, half say it wasn’t a penalty. What do you do? You’ve got to make a tackle. There’s a difference between tackling somebody to try and hurt them and tackling somebody who’s a bit quicker than you. They get the ball and you’re a bit late.
"For me it’s not a sending off, it’s just somebody quicker than you and the referees have got to use that interpretation. If it’s meant, yeah it’s a sending off. It just changes the game. If you’ve got ex-players and pundits debating it and their opinions are split, I would say it’s not a sending off."