Roberto De Zerbi has criticised referee Jarred Gillett following Tottenham’s dramatic 1-1 Premier League draw against Leeds United, insisting the official looked affected by recent VAR controversies.
Spurs missed the chance to move four points clear of the relegation zone after Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half penalty cancelled out Mathys Tel’s stunning opener at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The major talking point arrived when Leeds were awarded a penalty after VAR instructed Gillett to review Tel’s overhead clearance attempt, which caught Ethan Ampadu in the head.
Following a lengthy pitch-side review, the referee overturned his original decision and pointed to the spot.
Meanwhile, Tottenham were left frustrated deep into stoppage time after James Maddison went down inside the box under pressure from Lukas Nmecha.
However, after another VAR check, officials waved away Spurs’ appeals.
After the final whistle, De Zerbi suggested the referee struggled to handle the pressure surrounding officiating debates in recent days, especially after West Ham’s controversial disallowed goal against Arsenal.
“I think they were not calm today, maybe they suffered the pressure of yesterday’s Arsenal game,” said De Zerbi.
“For sure we suffered the pressure today. We didn’t play with passion with the ball, too frenetic but also the referee was not calm today.”
The Tottenham boss also defended the VAR decision from Arsenal’s clash with West Ham, insisting the officials made the correct call.
“I can’t understand the polemic about yesterday’s VAR because it was 200 per cent a foul, not 100 per cent, 200 per cent.”
Despite dropping points, Spurs remain outside the bottom three, although the tense battle for Premier League survival continues heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
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