Jan Vertonghen in clear after ‘finger digging’ incident with Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez
FA review panel says no case to answer - but Tottenham defender misses game at Watford after collecting five bookings
SPURS defender Jan Vertonghen has escaped punishment for gouging Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez in the face.
The FA’s three-man review committee could not come to a unanimous decision over the incident so no further action will be taken.
Vertonghen was filmed digging his fingers into the corner of Rodriguez’s eye after clearing the ball during Wednesday’s 4-1 win at St.Mary’s.
The incident was missed by referee Mike Dean, who asked for the FA to study footage of the first-half clash to decide if it warranted retrospective action.
But the panel of three former referees could not agree on the seriousness of the challenge and whether Vertonghen’s actions were deliberate.
The decision comes as a huge relief for Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who feared that Vertonghen could be hit with a three-match ban.
Tottenham bounced back from conceding an early goal to Virgil van Dijk to win 4-1 and move within a point of fourth-placed Arsenal.
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Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and a double by Dele Alli ensured a happy return for ex-Saints boss Pochettino.