Tottenham vs West Ham ref watch: Three decisions Jarred Gillett got wrong
Jarred Gillett was the man in the middle as Tottenham and West Ham clashed in a game tagged “El Sackico” on Saturday.
Thomas Frank is running out of games to save his job in North London, losing a must-win game against the Hammers on 17 January, and Spurs sinking to 14th in the Premier League table.
Even though Nuno Espirito Santo was without Lucas Paqueta, the visitors took the lead through Crysencio Summerville, and even had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half.
Spurs hit back through Cristian Romero, who returned from suspension, but it was the Hammers who had the last laugh through a Callum Wilson winner in North London.
Jarred Gillett rubs salt into Ben Davies’ wounds
Ben Davies was being stretchered off the pitch when Gillett showed a red card to the Welshman, and while he may have made a foul, it felt like an unnecessary decision by the referee.
The veteran defender has only recently returned to the starting lineup, with Destiny Udogie falling out of favour at Spurs, but it is now likely that he’ll be missing long-term with a new injury.
Micky van de Ven somehow still on the pitch after dissent
Just before the hour mark, Micky van de Ven went into the book for a sliding challenge on Jarrod Bowen, who was on the counter-attack, with several teammates ahead of him.
Clearly disagreeing with the decision, the Dutchman stood up to the referee and made his feelings extremely obvious, basically screaming into the face of Gillett.
Premier League officials continue to put up with these actions, and until they start to punish them, they will keep being undermined and disrespected in the top tier of English football.
Djed Spence wrongly punished late on
Djed Spence had a major battle with Bowen after being brought on for Davies, and despite lunging into several challenges, his tackle on the Hammers captain did not deserve a caution.
The ball was already in Guglielmo Vicario‘s gloves when the winger started to roll around, and even though the incident took place in front of the assistant referee, there was no indication of a foul.
It was a baffling decision, and one that could have had even more repercussions at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.