Burnley's Phil Bardsley in heated tunnel exchange after controversial Spurs penalty

Bardsley was not happy

Burnley's Phil Bardsley was involved in a heated tunnel exchange with referee Kevin Friend and his fellow officials during the Clarets' game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Harry Kane's penalty put Spurs 1-0 up before the break

The Lancashire side found themselves 1-0 down at the break after Harry Kane's late first-half penalty, but the decision wasn't without controversy. Spurs were awarded the spot-kick after Ashley Barnes was adjudged to have handled the ball after it came off Davinson Sanchez's shin. Although the ball clearly struck Barnes' arms, there were doubts over whether a penalty could be awarded given that the forward was stood very close to Sanchez at the time. The decision went to VAR who then recommended that Friend take a look at the monitor. Following a brief look, he gave the penalty, leaving Burnley players and staff fuming. https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1525814962316546048 While caretaker boss Mike Jackson protested on the touchline, several of the Burnley players surrounded Friend before and after the penalty.

Several of the Burnley squad gathered round Friend in the tunnel

This continued into the halftime interval as the referee and players made their way into the tunnel. Bardsley, who had been named on the bench for the game, appeared to be one of the more frustrated and was spotted pointing his finger in the direction of the referee as he tried to make his point.

The anger from the away side could somewhat be justified given the importance of the fixture in their bid to avoid relegation. A loss for the Lancashire side means they could fall into the bottom three should Everton and Leeds find wins in their respective fixtures, leaving them in a precarious position heading into the final day of the season. Related links: