‘Wrong decision’: Mark Clattenberg slams Michael Oliver decision against Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur crashed to a 4-1 defeat against Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday night.

The North London outfit started the game well but they lost their composure eventually and the likes of Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were both sent off during the game.

Udogie has been an important player for Tottenham this season and the youngster has impressed with his performances in the Premier League. However, the left-back lost his composure during the high-octane clash against Chelsea and he was lucky to escape a direct red card.

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has suggested that the Tottenham defender should have been handed a direct red card for his rash tackle on Raheem Sterling. The Tottenham defender was airborne during his challenge and he was leading with two feet, with studs showing. The Chelsea winger was lucky to escape a serious injury.

“Wrong decision. Destiny Udogie was lucky for two reasons. One, because Raheem Sterling pulled his leg away to prevent a serious injury. Two, because Brooks did not tell Oliver that this challenge was worthy of a red. Udogie was airborne, leading with two feet, with studs showing. It is precisely this type of challenge which needs outlawing from football,” wrote Clatterburg for the Daily Mail (7 November, page 69).

The challenge on Sterling in the first half earned him a yellow card, and Michael Oliver decided to send him off early on in the second half for another challenge on Sterling.

Despite that defeat against Chelsea, Tottenham have been quite impressive as a unit this season and they will look to bounce back strongly in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the win over Spurs will have given Chelsea a major confidence boost after a disappointing start to the season by their standards.