James Maddison claims officials are 'petrified' to make decisions after Leeds penalty drama

James Maddison has claimed officials are “petrified” to make decisions after being denied a stoppage-time penalty against Leeds.

With Spurs drawing 1-1 in the 103rd minute, Maddison was challenged by Leeds striker Lukas Nmecha in the penalty box - only for referee Jarred Gillett and VAR to wave away the appeals.

According to the Premier League Match Centre, the officials felt Nmecha got enough contact on the ball to justify the penalty not being given.

Maddison wrote on his Instagram account on Tuesday evening: "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. COYS."

Had it been awarded, Spurs would have had the chance from 12 yards to extend their lead over 18th-placed West Ham to four points with two games remaining - taking a major stride towards survival in the process.

Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said that referee Gillett - who had earlier awarded Leeds a penalty for a wild overhead kick by Mathys Tel - was "not calm" during the match.

The controversy surrounding match officiating comes just over 24 hours after West Ham had their 95th-minute equaliser disallowed against Arsenal for a foul on David Raya by striker Pablo inside the area - an incident that took over four minutes to determine.