Tottenham VAR controversy erupts as Roberto De Zerbi fumes at red card decision vs Everton | Football | Sport

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi was left furious after Everton midfielder Merlin Rohl escaped a red card for a nasty challenge on Micky van de Ven during their final day encounter. The north Londoners went into the match knowing that relegation was a real possibility should they suffer defeat. In that instance, they will be sent down if West Ham manage to beat Leeds United.

While there were no early goals in either fixture, there was some drama at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Everton narrowly escaped being reduced in numbers. Van de Ven was battling Rohl for the ball and was deemed to have fouled the Toffees midfielder. However, replays showed that the Spurs defender had been caught by the studs of his opposite number.

The decision wasn’t overturned by VAR, though, and Rohl went unpunished. It sparked a furious reaction from De Zerbi on the touchline, with the Tottenham manager adamant that a red card should have been brandished.

Van de Ven stayed down and looked to be in some pain before climbing to his feet and eventually playing on. It marked a turning point in the match, with the hosts losing their momentum slightly after making a promising start to proceedings.

Paul Robinson, the former Spurs goalkeeper, was on commentary duties for BBC Radio 5 Live and said: “It is incredibly warm and the players won’t be used to it.

“You can see that with the tempo Spurs are playing at, just how susceptible they are because when Everton do get the ball, they are so submissive they drop off immediately. Going forward Spurs look good but without the ball, they look vulnerable.”

Ahead of the game, De Zerbi issued a rallying cry to his Tottenham players as they went into the final day looking to avoid an unthinkable relegation to the Championship.

“We have to play and to play with blood, with character and with spirit because it’s a final,” said the Belgian manager. “They played a great final last season and they won a trophy.

“Maybe there was a bonus, no? After tomorrow, there is not a trophy, there is not a bonus, there is something more important than a trophy and a bonus, there is the future of the club.

“There is the history of the club, there is the pride of the players, there is the pride of the family of the players, there is the dignity of every one of us, and for that, I can’t lose energy thinking about the next season.”