Yates went down clutching his stomach in the final moments of Tottenham’s match against Forest, urging the referee to look into VAR.

The midfielder shoved Maddison, according to the footage, and the Tottenham player responded by sticking his arm in his midsection, sending the midfielder to the ground.

But Jamie Redknapp and Roy Keane both said the incident was overblown, claiming the Forest player had fallen too readily (Sky Sports).

Yates has since talked about the event and acknowledged that he was trying to get close to Maddison.

According to Football.London, the 26-year-old stated: “I know James Maddison is a good player and he makes them tick.” It’s my responsibility to stop the momentum. Although we may not have won every decision, the Premier League has shown inconsistent play this season.

Maddison got away with it because another official in the VAR room might have interpreted the event differently. It would have been quite severe if the midfield player had been sent off for that. For a brief moment, the England international lost his cool and nearly caused serious damage to his team.