Tottenham Forced to Swallow Referee’s Verdict on Disallowed Goal vs. Arsenal

Gabriel came under scrutiny for winning a soft foul when Randal Kolo Muani put the ball in Arsenal’s net for a second time on Sunday.

Referee Peter Bankes (right) doubled down on his decision involving Gabriel (left, top) and Randal Kolo Muani. | Rob Newell-CameraSport/Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Referee Peter Bankes doubled down on his insistence that he was right to disallow Randal Kolo Muani’s goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal on Sunday during a rare example of a Premier League official publicly explaining their decision.

Arsenal were 2–1 up in the second half when Conor Gallagher’s deflected cross looped into the north London night sky. While it was tumbling out of the air, Kolo Muani made contact with Gabriel Magalhães, who dropped to the turf appealing for a foul while the Spurs strike controlled the ball and slotted it past David Raya for the second time that afternoon.

Kolo Muani’s celebrations were cut short by a swift parp of Bankes’s whistle—much to the disgust of Tottenham boss Igor Tudor, who furiously gesticulated on the touchline. Several other onlookers have complained about the decision, but the official who made the call has stood firmly by his choice.

---

Referee Explains Why He Is ’Comfortable’ With Disallowed Spurs Goal vs. Arsenal

The contact between Gabriel (left) and Randal Kolo Muani was minimal. | YouTube/Sky Sports Premier League

Reflecting on the incident on Match Officials Mic’d Up, Bankes calmly walked through his thought process. “I see two hands from the Tottenham player into the back of the Arsenal player and that is going to be my main focus,” he outlined. “Once you see two hands in live play, it looks like a push, a clear push.

“I delayed the whistle so that the play could continue, then obviously gave my final decision once the ball had gone into the goal and that allows the VAR then to potentially check if I’ve misread something or if it doesn’t quite look right. But on field it looked a very, very clear offence.”

“Obviously, different speeds can make things look different. In slow motion, it can look different to what you see live,” Bankes continued. “I get one look at it, and I was more than happy that the two hands on the back had enough impact and was an offence. I understand there’s going to be split opinions on it, but for me I’m still comfortable that is enough for a free kick.”

---

Unpopular Opinion But Encouraging Setting

On Premier League Match Officials Mic'd Up, Howard Webb explains the process in disallowing Rayan Cherki's goal against Liverpool and why Dominik Szoboszlai was shown a red card 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/gd3eqCvEDu

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 24, 2026

People may not agree with Bankes’s conclusion but the fact that he has the platform to explain the reasoning behind his decision is a promising step. Social media has given rise to an unprecedented avenue of abuse against referees, the one figure who, for so long, has never had the right to reply.

The tide is slowly turning. Officials can now make out-of-breath announcements to the crowd and have settings such as Match Officials Mic’d Up to give their more measured opinions. Bankes also offered an intriguing insight into the extensive preparatory work a Premier League referee goes through.

“Obviously I’m going to look at some tactics,” he revealed. “We get a lot of clips and information through our analysts. I’ll know the players anyway, I’ve seen Arsenal and Tottenham a few times already this season.

“But again, there’ll be some certain trends, whether they man-to-man press at goal-kicks, how they potentially set up at set pieces. It just gives us some really good information going into the game so we’re well prepared.”

---