Tottenham captain Harry Kane has insisted his dive was not deliberate and the striker didn’t intend to win a penalty at the end of Tottenham’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday.
Notably, Kane went down under pressure from Gunners defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos late in the game when the scores were level at the Emirates.
Referee Martin Atkinson ignored Kane’s pleas for a foul but the 26-year-old striker believes he should have been awarded Spurs’ second penalty of the game.
He told Sky Sports News: “I think so. I think it was that stage of the game where he makes a tired tackle.”
“I think if I’m on the halfway line then I get it. When you’re in the box, it’s kind of 50-50,” Kane said, clarifying, “The ref probably thinks I’m looking for it but all I’m trying to do is shield the ball. It is what it is – it could be given in some games but it wasn’t today. You move on.”
Talking about the match, Kane, scored from the spot in the 10th minute after Heung-Min Son was clumsily fouled by Granit Xhaka to give Spurs a 2-0 lead following Christian Eriksen’s opener. But later in the match, Alexandre Lacazette in the 45+1st minute and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 71st minute got goals and helped Arsenal battle back to earn a 2-2 draw.