Tottenham vs Aston Villa ref watch: Three decisions Craig Pawson got wrong in FA Cup showdown

A contentious FA Cup third-round tie saw Aston Villa knock Tottenham Hotspur out of the competition amid heavy criticism of referee Craig Pawson. The match, played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, finished with Villa progressing after goals from Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers, while Wilson Odobert pulled one back for Spurs in the second half. However, much of the post-match focus fell on three major decisions Pawson is deemed to have got wrong, all of which significantly affected Tottenham’s prospects.

The first flashpoint came when Spurs appeared to have created a prime goalscoring opportunity following a foul on Xavi Simons just outside the Villa penalty area. Rather than playing the clear advantage or at least awarding a dangerous free-kick to Tottenham, Pawson halted play and ultimately left the home side without either the advantage or the set-piece they should have received. This incident was viewed as denying Spurs a key chance from a position ideally suited to a specialist like Pedro Porro.

The second major incident involved a disallowed Tottenham goal. Randal Kolo Muani thought he had scored a vital equaliser, only for the assistant’s flag to go up for offside in the build-up. The article argues that the decision failed to take into account the prior foul on Simons which should have given Spurs the attacking platform, making the eventual offside call a product of poor initial refereeing rather than correct game management.

The third controversial moment centred on Ollie Watkins, who clashed off the ball with João Palhinha. Replays showed Watkins appearing to kick out and sweep Palhinha’s legs from under him. Despite the clear act of retaliation, Pawson chose not to issue even a yellow card, let alone consider a red, instead focusing on calming the confrontation that followed. The piece concludes that Pawson’s leniency allowed Watkins to “get away with” a blatant lash-out, compounding Tottenham’s sense of injustice on a night when refereeing decisions heavily overshadowed the football itself.