James Trafford endured a nightmare first half on his Manchester City home debut against Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium.
Thomas Frank’s side went into the break two goals ahead thanks to strikes from Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha.
Source: Twitter
The 22-year-old goalkeeper was at fault for Spurs’ second, gifting the ball away inside his own box before Pape Matar Sarr pounced and set up Palhinha to score.
However, many felt the England U21 shot-stopper was fortunate to even remain on the pitch by that stage.
James Trafford’s challenge on Mohammed Kudus
Just moments after Spurs had taken a 1-0 lead, James Trafford charged out of his box to challenge Kudus, who was racing through on goal.
After bringing the ball down on his chest, Kudus appeared to be caught high by the goalkeeper’s knee, while replays suggested Trafford also handled the ball outside his area.
The Ghanaian was left on the ground in pain as City regained possession, but no free-kick was awarded and Trafford escaped punishment.
While the clash itself sparked debate, it was the apparent handball outside the box that left many questioning whether the keeper should have been sent off.
Why wasn’t Trafford punished?
The referee allowed play to continue and the incident was later checked by VAR, who confirmed the on-field decision.
While every incident is reviewed in the VAR room, only those considered clear errors are referred back to the referee.
According to BBC Sport, officials felt Trafford’s hands were close to his body and that the contact was not deliberate enough to warrant intervention.
It’s also important to note that handling the ball outside the box is not automatically a red card.
Referees must consider factors such as whether an obvious goalscoring chance was denied, the distance from goal, the direction of play, and the presence of covering defenders before deciding on a dismissal.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Yen.com.gh
