Michael Owen has stated that he ‘finds it hard to stomach’ that Ashley Barnes was punished for a handball against Tottenham on Sunday.
Burnley suffered a 1-0 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Harry Kane’s penalty was the difference on the day.
The Spurs striker dispatched his spot-kick just before the break, after Burnley striker Barnes was punished for a handball.
As Davinson Sanchez tried to flick the ball towards goal, Barnes, who was standing right next to the Spurs defender, had his arms up and unintentionally handled the ball.
The issue for Barnes is that the rules state that his arms were in an ‘unnatural position’, as Owen, whilst he understood the call, admitted on Premier League Productions that the controversial call was ‘hard to take’.
“You can definitely understand why,” said Owen. “The referee is following the law and the law says ‘unnatural position and it’s a penalty’.
“You can argue ‘is it an unnatural position’? Because that’s where his arms have gone and that’s his body position. He’s certainly not trying to stop a shot, is he? He’s not trying to save it.
“He’s in a natural position, for him – I am not saying at all, it’s not a penalty. It is a penalty based on the laws.
“But I find it hard to stomach that’s a penalty, really? I find it hard to take.”
RELEGATION BATTLE AND CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RACE TO GO THE FINAL DAY
The final day of the Premier League season is going to throw up some serious drama.
The battle for relegation, the fight to secure Champions League football, and possibly the Premier League title will all be on the line.
If Liverpool beat Southampton on Tuesday night, then everything will be on the line this Sunday and Tottenham will be in the thick of it.
They just have to do their job and beat Norwich City, and whilst that seems a simple task against the already-relegated side, this is the final day, so anything can happen.
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