‘Goalkeepers get too much protection’ – Spurs star unhappy with disallowed goal

Eric Dier has questioned the referee’s decision to rule out Tottenham’s second goal against Southampton for a foul on Fraser Forster.

Tottenham pushed bodies forward and penned the Saints back for the entirety of the second half following Mohammed Salisu’s sending off just before the interval.

The home side managed to dig deep and come away with a point, much to the frustration of Antonio Conte’s men.

Spurs did have the ball in the Southampton net on a couple of occasions but the goals were ruled out.

While VAR’s decision to rule Harry Kane offside was the more controversial decision, Dier felt that referee Anthony Taylor’s decision to blow for a foul on Forster in the 67th minute was harsh on the away side.

The Saints goalkeeper seemed to spill the ball but Taylor decided Forster was being impeded by Matt Doherty. However, Dier felt it was a Southampton player who got in Forster’s way.

The Tottenham centre-back told BBC Sport (17:47 29/12/21) about the disallowed goal: “It didn’t look that bad. I thought there was a Southampton player in his [Fraser Forster’s] way.

“Goalkeepers get too much protection, especially outside the six-yard box. They can jump and use their hands which is an advantage enough.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I do agree that goalkeepers are too protected. However, based on how the laws are implemented, the referee was always going to blow for a foul on Foster on that occasion.

The off-side call on Kane was the more disappointing decision, particularly since we were told VAR is not going to be used to chop off marginal offside calls like that one.

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