VAR admits to three errors in Newcastle vs Tottenham
VAR may have made big error in Newcastle vs Tottenham
Tottenham and Newcastle United were both unbeaten heading into their weekend Premier League clash, but one side walked away with a loss.
Ange Postecoglou‘s side were on the receiving end of a 2-1 loss thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes in either half.
Tottenham actually dominated proceedings with 66% possession and 20 shots to Newcastle‘s nine but they just couldn’t find a way past Nick Pope for the equaliser.
It was Spurs’ high line that caught them out for the Isak goal as Jacob Murphy beat the offside trap to square the ball for the Swede.
However, one Spurs player who received praise from Micah Richard was Wilson Odobert, who continues to enjoy a really impressive start to life in north London.
But, it could have been worse for the Lilywhites as VAR may have made a big error…
VAR may have made big error in Newcastle vs Tottenham as penalty wasn’t given
VAR has been plaguing the game over the past few years in the Premier League, so when incidents and errors pop up it’s no longer a surprise.
Robert Jones was the referee in the middle for Newcastle vs Tottenham.
Alexander Isak was racing through on goal and Radu Dragusin made a last ditch attempt to try and play the ball by diving in with his right leg.
However, when shown live on Sky Sports the Romanian centre-back appears to have caught the left leg of Isak which sends him tumbling over, but Rob Jones didn’t give it and VAR decided there was not enough evidence to overturn.
To be fair to the referee, his line of sight wasn’t very good about 30-40 yards back from where the incident actually occurred, so he won’t have had much of an idea.
But, this is where VAR needs to step in and advise him on the situation, rather than just going off his decision like they’ve been told to do this season.
Radu Dragusin of Tottenham Hotspur interacts with Referee Robert Jones during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Tottenham Ho…
Was it a penalty?
Well, Rob Jones didn’t think so and neither did VAR.
However, upon closer look it does appear as if Dragusin knocks the striker off balance with his studs coming into contact with the ankle area of Isak.
When you’re running at such high speeds it doesn’t take much to topple over with the slightest of touches, and the striker was in a great position to score so he has no reason to just fall over.
We’ve already seen Matty Cash concede a penalty this season for a tangle of legs directly after winning the ball, and in this instance Dragusin doesn’t even connect with the ball, so there’s no real consistency.
He gave a penalty for the slightest of touches by Fabio Silva on George Baldock, who made an absolute meal of it, which has similarities to the Isak decision with a small amount of contact and was far less of a penalty than on this occasion.
The VAR rules state.
For subjective penalty decisions, such as for a foul or for a handball, the referee will confirm their decision to the VAR and what they have seen – “Referee’s Call”. The VAR will look to identify through evidence readily available if there was a “clear and obvious error”
But, in this instance, Rob Jones had no clear sight so to go off his original decision is crazy.