Conte: Red card killed the game

Spurs manager Antonio Conte said the standard of refereeing and VAR in the Premier League needs to be improved after Emerson Royal was sent off for a rash challenge in his side’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates yesterday.

Spurs were already trailing 2-1 and the dismissal of Emerson “killed the game”, according to Conte. Shortly afterwards Arsenal extended their lead and the game was done.

And although Conte refused to be drawn on the referee’s decision to send off Emerson after the challenge on Gabriel Martinelli, he did say he would like to see the standard of officialdom in the Premier League improve overall.

Asked about the sending off, Conte said: “I do not want to comment. There are images and everybody can think which is the best decision, but I do not want to comment. Maybe the referee could use the yellow card more in the first half.

“Sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you are unlucky. The red card killed the game because our team was (set up) really offensive and it was difficult to defend and we conceded the third goal.

“Sometimes you see situations that could be a red card, sometimes it could be a yellow card and instead it’s a red card. They have to work a lot about this. In Italy they go on Thursday together to try to improve.

“This could be a good idea because we need to have the same level of the referee (to the standard of play in the Premier League). Premier League is a really high level so every part has to be top.”

The Italian felt his side wasted chances to take control of the game in the first half, but said he was still confident at half-time that Spurs could win.

He said: “In the first half we had many chances and the chances to exploit the situation but we made many mistakes with the last passes.

“But in the second half to concede the second goal quickly, and then the red card, the game has changed totally and now we have to move on and to know we have to take the positives from this game.

"We have to try to improve the situation that cost our defeat.”

Pictured top: Antonio Conte (Picture: Charlie Stong)