James Maddison has accused match officials of being "petrified" to make decisions after Tottenham were denied a stoppage-time penalty in their 1-1 draw with Leeds. The incident occurred in the 103rd minute when Maddison was challenged by Leeds striker Lukas Nmecha inside the penalty area - only for referee Jarred Gillett and VAR to wave away the appeals.

The England international took to Instagram to explain his version of events, stating the ball deflected off his own foot rather than Nmecha's challenge. The VAR check lasted approximately 20 seconds, with Maddison arguing officials are now reluctant to make on-field decisions because of VAR. According to Premier League Match Centre, officials felt Nmecha got enough contact on the ball to justify the penalty not being given.

Had the penalty been awarded, Tottenham would have moved four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham with two games remaining - a major stride toward survival. Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said referee Gillett was "not calm" during the match. Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara called it "an obvious penalty" on Sky Sports, saying: "He bottled it, that ref."

The controversy comes just over 24 hours after West Ham had their 95th-minute equaliser against Arsenal disallowed for a foul on David Raya - an incident that took over four minutes to determine.