Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes that Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario's handle outside the box vs Brentford at the weekend was '100 per cent not' a red card - despite the stopper preventing the Bees from potentially getting on the scoresheet and leveling the tie.
Tottenham were leading 2-1 against their fellow London club at the time when a cross was hoisted into the area. Vicario made the brave decision to come for the cross and having spilled it, handled on the edge of the area, before another swipe way outside of the box saw Brentford players up in arms. But Gallagher claims that it wasn't a red card for the former Serie A goalkeeper in a game that Tottenham went on to win 3-1 and secure just their second win of the season in five matches.
Vicario Handball 'Not a Red Card'
The Italian was lucky to not have given away a foul
Speaking on Sky Sports' 'Ref Watch', Gallagher stated that whilst Vicario had committed a foul and that the referee should have seen the incident, it was '100 per cent' not a red card for the Italian goalkeeper. He said:
"VAR could get involved, but it's got to go through the mechanics of the decision. If you look, has he handled the ball outside of the penalty area? Definitely. The referee misses it for whatever reason.
"He loses the ball there and he flicks the ball away. The first thing is has he denied a clear goalscoring opportunity? I would say no, because the player isn't in control of the ball. Can he get the ball? Possibly, but there are a lot of players around him.
"Has he stopped a promising attack? Maybe. At maximum, a yellow card, but 100 per cent not a red card.
"It's got to have impact, it's got to impact on the outcome of that decision and as I say, it's 100 per cent not a red card. You only have to look at how many players are around him."
Vicario Must Iron Out Mistakes
The keeper has had two incidents in two weeks
Vicario has had an indifferent start to the season and this clash against the Bees did little to calm the nerves over his recent performances.
In the clash against Arsenal a week prior, Vicario was booked for a scuffle with Jurrien Timber, for which Gary Neville described the Italy international as having 'frogs in his pants' - before conceding from Gabriel's header as a derby day defeat for Tottenham left them with just four points from four Premier League games.
Saturday was no better in terms of dodgy incidents, and whilst the handball has not been ruled as a costly mistake thanks to Spurs' win on the day, he will need to do better at being able to be a trustworthy goalkeeper as he was last season if Ange Postecoglou's men are to even attempt a run at qualifying for the Champions League.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Vicario has featured twice for Italy's national team.
Seven points from five games isn't the best start, but they are only three points away from the top four, and having had tough games against Arsenal and Newcastle United in that run, they'll be hoping to pick up more in the coming weeks.