Sean Dyche was again disappointed with VAR after it intervened to prevent Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goal.
The striker fired over to spark celebrations in the away end and offer Everton a way back into a game in which they were trailing 2-0 when Andre Gomes fouled him just after half-time.
However, the goal was eventually overturned when referee Stuart Attwell was directed to a pitch-side monitor to review his decision, as he found that Gomes had fouled Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Roy when retrieving the ball at the start of the action.
The decision caused anger and frustration in the Everton camp as captain James Tarkowski protested and Dyche looked on with his head in his hands. After the game, which Everton lost 2-1, the Blues boss questioned the procedure, highlighting his concern that technology and off-field decision makers are being used to override instinct.
Dyche said: ‘I’m a big fan of VAR but I don’t know where it lives today because VAR again decided a moment when the referee and linesman had an incredible view and made a clear decision.
“All their experience and years of work go out of the window because [VAR] can find a contact – and they will find it, they can find it in practically everything. The lack of contact in the game is already a concern for me anyway.
“My question is more about where is the line between trusting the moment on the pitch and the referee’s instinct and what he is doing? For me, the VAR part, I know a lot of people will probably disagree because they’ll say there was contact, but if I’m the person in the VAR room, I’m looking at the position of the referee and the linesman and what kind of view they have because they’re there live and it’s live action. In my opinion, it was perfect today. The referee’s view from the opposite side, the linesman’s view from the front – it’s a perfect moment for them to be allowed to referee the game.”
Asked if he thought the decision cost Everton the chance to extend their unbeaten run and take at least a valuable point away from north London, Dyche replied: “It was very important: “Considering how well we played, you have to think it had an impact. The feeling in the stadium – I think the Tottenham fans were probably thinking, ‘They’re playing really well’. They couldn’t get their usual control of the game.”