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Does Eddie Howe have a point since his side were denied a “stonewall” penalty in their 2-2 draw against Chelsea?
In the 53rd minute, Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah slammed Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon into the penalty box at St James’ Park.
The on-field decision to not award a penalty was upheld following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, which Howe and the home fans had demanded.
Newcastle had a 2-1 lead at the time, but boos followed the alleged injustice, as the hosts had to settle for a point after falling behind by 2-0 at halftime.
The Premier League Match Centre clarified the decision by saying that “the call for no penalties against Newcastle was reviewed and confirmed by VAR, with the contact from Chalobah on Gordon deemed to be side-to-side in a shielding action and the ball within playing distance.”
Howe’s side has conceded a league-high 13 points from winning positions, according to Howe, who said: “I didn’t realize it was a stonewall penalty and the defender entered it with too much aggression.
That’s a free-kick, anywhere else on the pitch. Therefore, I’m extremely disappointed that no gift was made.
Shay Given, a former Newcastle goalkeeper, said: “I felt like the ball was more than just shoulder to shoulder.”
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Ally McCoist, a former Rangers striker, agreed with Howe that the incident was a “stonewall” penalty and said he was “stuck” by the decision not to send on-field referee Andy Madley to review it on the pitchside monitor.
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann questioned whether Madley should have been allowed to review the incident, saying that the VAR could only send the referee to the monitor after being convinced there was a clear and obvious error. Given the high standard for VAR intervention, Peter Bankes felt that this was not the case.
I believe that VAR would have continued to follow that course if a penalty had been imposed on the field.
While making a comment on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin described Chalobah’s challenge as “risky with bells on it.”
The referee should have given the big call that “Chopbah never got the ball,” Gordon was shoulder challenged, and it was a big call.
After making an aggressive “ask” to win the ball, former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole described the tackle as “overzealous,” while former Premier League striker Peter Crouch said Chalobah was”lucky” after the incident.
Cann, who retired in April and has over 1, 000 professional matches, said: “At regular speed, I can understand why the referee didn’t give a penalty. Because there is direct contact with Gordon, Chalobah takes a chance in creating such a challenge.
“So VAR decided that a clear and obvious error had not been made, and they continued to support the on-field decision of no penalty,” so the decision was appropriate to be reviewed.
I do believe the VAR would have continued to follow that course even if a penalty had been instituted. This ultimately boils down to the “referee’s call.”
Cann continued, “I think it would be a useful addition to the armoury of VAR when unusual events like this occur,” adding that the facility would allow you to say “this one is in the margins, so you might want to take a second look yourself,” to the referee.
Chalobah is “incredibly fortunate.”
Reporter on football issues Dale Johnson’s analysis
Trevoh Chalobah had a very good chance of avoiding a penalty.
The Premier League Match Center’s definition of a foul is not typically to challenge an attacker shoulder to shoulder or side to side.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel has determined that numerous shoulder-to-shoulder incidents do not qualify for a VAR review.
For instance, last year when Ipswich Town’s Dara O’Shea appeared to forcefully kick Kevin Danso off the ball,
Defenders frequently see the ball out of play through shielding, too.
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