Tottenham and Leeds Play Out 1-1 Draw as Maddison Penalty Appeal Rejected

Tottenham drew 1-1 with Leeds in a Premier League match on Monday after a penalty awarded to Calvert-Lewin earned the visitors a point. James Maddison came on as an 85th-minute substitute for his first appearance of the season following his return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The 29-year-old went down under a challenge from Lukas Nmecha in stoppage time.

Referee Jarred Gillett and the VAR dismissed Maddison's appeal for a penalty. Maddison wrote on his Instagram account: "For clarity… The small, tiny touch on the ball to change direction came from the outside of my right foot, not Nmecha, and I told the ref that. But the check was over in about 20 seconds.

Officials are petrified to make decisions on pitch now because of VAR. We keep fighting. " The result left Tottenham two points above the Premier League relegation zone with two games to play. It is not the first time the midfielder has criticised referees and VAR.

In September, Maddison said referees and VAR "had an absolute shocker of a start" to the season. That earlier criticism came after Professional Game Match Officials Limited chief Howard Webb implemented a policy of "less intervention" for VAR in the Premier League.

BBC News reported that BBC pundit Alan Shearer has described refereeing standards as "the worst we have seen for a long time" and "only getting worse" because of VAR.

Former Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock has said VAR is the "worst thing that has been introduced to the game". Ex-England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has said football's emotion is being drained by technology. Europe's top leagues have been summoned to a meeting with Uefa in the summer to discuss how VAR technology is being used.