Ian Wright slams Tottenham star after 'blatant' Liverpool incident as ban demanded

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Djed Spence was accused of diving during Tottenham's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, with Ian Wright calling it a 'blatant dive' as ex-referee Keith Hackett calls for retrospective punishment

Referee John Brooks is surrounded by Tottenham players during the game between Liverpool and Spurs(Image: Getty Images)

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has urged authorities to introduce retrospective bans for simulation, following Ian Wright's accusation that Tottenham's Djed Spence dived during Saturday's 2-1 loss to Liverpool.

The controversial moment unfolded in the 45th minute when Spence embarked on a surging run from deep within his own territory before tumbling inside the Liverpool penalty area after seemingly being clipped by Conor Bradley. However, replays revealed there was scant contact and no spot-kick was given, leaving Spurs and Thomas Frank seething.

Offering his assessment of the decision to deny Tottenham a penalty, Wright told Premier League Productions: "You can see the other player behind him. He's got no chance of getting that ball on the other side. So he's just knocked it inside and just wanted contact and got it. It's a blatant dive for me."

Now Hackett, a former FIFA-listed official, has called for suspensions to be imposed on players caught diving during matches, with Spence being the latest to face scrutiny, reports Football London.

Speaking to Tottenham News, Hackett said: "Sadly, going to ground to deceive the referee by an act of simulation is a regular occurrence in the modern game.

"It will continue if referees fail to sanction. I do believe that the authorities need to consider retrospective punishment for acts of simulation."

Djed Spence in action against Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

Tottenham almost managed to rescue a point against Liverpool on Saturday but couldn't secure a positive result from the encounter. The hosts ultimately succumbed to a 2-1 defeat, having battled with 10 men for over an hour.

The match remained evenly poised until Xavi Simons received his marching orders in the 33rd minute for a reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk. The contest remained tight until Liverpool stepped up a gear after the interval, with Alexander Isak firing the Reds into the lead with an excellent strike before Hugo Ekitike extended their lead moments later.

Spurs, who were reduced to nine players in second-half injury time when Cristian Romero was dismissed, managed to pull one back through Richarlison, but it was insufficient.

"I think overall it was a good performance tonight, proud of the players and the team and how they responded," Frank said post-match.

"I actually think the first 30 was also good from us and how we responded to setbacks through the game, something we have been working very hard on, because that is the biggest thing the best teams need to do.

"How do we respond to setbacks during a game because the best teams deal with it and move on and keep going, stick to the plan, we talked about it before, structure and everything. Today we did that excellently. There was great personality and character in the team."