Dermot Gallagher decisive 75-word Spurs VAR verdict sheds further light on Arsenal controversy

Tottenham Hotspur were perhaps lucky not to see defender Micky van de Ven sent off in the 1-0 defeat at the hands of London rivals Crystal Palace at the weekend.

The 23-year-old was beaten by Eagles winger Ismaila Sarr midway through the second half and was faced with the decision of either bringing the forward down or letting him break past the Spurs backline. Van de Ven took Sarr out around 30 yards from goal with referee Darren Bond blowing for a free-kick and showing a yellow card.

There were protestations that the defender should have been shown red for that challenge with the belief that he had been denied a clear goal scoring chance given that Sarr had broken through. However, speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher explained why that wasn't the case.

He said: "They are of the belief that he's wide, too far from goal, and he's going away from goal, not direct towards goal. That was their justification.

"Again, I think that's the referee's call. He's got a better view than me and he's got the feel of it. He thinks he's going away, there's no doubt he is moving away from the goal - that's the first tick box and it doesn't tick that, so right decision."

The Van de Ven decision is of particular poignancy in the Premier League with Arsenal having seen centre-back William Saliba sent off against AFC Bournemouth for a very similar offence. The Gunners were without the defensive mainstay in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool yesterday.

Saliba brought down Cherries striker Evanilson in the centre circle and was initially shown yellow too, but VAR intervened to recommend a red card. Comparing Gallagher's comments last week with those of this week underlines the importance of the attacking player's positioning in such moments.

Talking about the Saliba decision, Gallagher had said: "The ball is going down the middle. White is a long way from Evanilson, who is favourite to get the ball. Raya has backed off, so it's hard for him to get the ball."