Why James Maddison was not sent off after Ryan Yates incident in Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has shed light on the VAR decision regarding an incident involving James Maddison and Ryan Yates during Tottenham's clash with Nottingham Forest.

Spurs beat Forest 3-1 on Sunday. Goals from Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro secured the win for Ange Postecoglou's side, but the match could have taken a different turn had referee Simon Hooper been allowed to review a contentious moment involving Maddison, as directed by VAR Michael Salisbury.

Towards the end of the first half, Forest midfielder Yates hit the deck after a collision with Maddison, who appeared to strike the Forest player. Gallagher, a former top-flight ref, has clarified why the episode wasn't examined for a potential red card by the match officials, reports Nottinghamshire Live.

"This was really interesting because it got flagged up by the VAR," Gallagher commented on Sky Sports. "I listened to the VAR. I saw this while I was waiting for the VAR, somebody pointed it out to me he (Yates) had already got a yellow card and I thought this is going to be a very interesting decision.

"The VAR came to the conclusion, his words and I quote verbatim were: 'No evidence of violent conduct'. That is his choice

"What I would say is the referee has to be guided by him. The referee doesn't see it quite clearly, the VAR doesn't send him to the screen so he has no choice. He can't pick and go himself so he doesn't see it again. If he sees it again, then who knows what decision he would make.

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"All I can relay is what he said. He feels there is no evidence of violent conduct. I think he's really lucky. If you do that on a football field and you get sent off, you have not got a leg to stand on."

Forest boss Nuno Espiritio Santoc claimed in his post-match press conference that Maddison had delivered a "punch in the stomach" to Yates. The Forest player involved acknowledged his role in provoking Maddison but expressed no shock at the outcome from the officials.

"James Maddison is a good player, I know he makes them tick," Yates commented. "It's my job to disrupt the momentum. A few decisions probably didn't go our way but we've seen the inconsistency in the Premier League this season."