Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
Sport
Josh Challies

Sky Sports pundits agree with Newcastle United fans over controversial VAR decision

Sky Sports' trio of pundits were left baffled after Newcastle United were denied a penalty in Sunday's Premier League clash against Burnley.

The Magpies fell behind in the first half to Matej Vydra's opener but thought they had a clear penalty before the break after James Tarkowski caught Sean Longstaff with a high boot inside the box.

However, the decision on the field was not to award a spot-kick and, following a VAR review, that decision was upheld.

That led to fury on social media from Newcastle fans, with former Liverpool and Tottenham man Jamie Redknapp left equally baffled by the decision.

"It's a penalty. It was in the best spell for Newcastle, they were coming into the game. It was a fantastic save from Peacock-Farrell, really gets his body in the way, and Tarkowski just doesn't think there's someone coming in," Redknapp told Sky Sports.

"Normally you'd header it but he thinks he's got a bit more time than he has. Longstaff comes in to head it, his foot is so high. That's dangerous play, anywhere else on the pitch it's a foul so why is it not a penalty? He nearly took his head off."

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards agreed with his colleague and was left baffled by PGMOL's stance that Tarkowski had played the ball first before Longstaff arrived and lowered his head.

"You look at the Leeds tackle yesterday, [Liam] Cooper, he took the ball first. It's just so inconsistent. We always say it has to be a clear and obvious mistake but it's a foul, it's dangerous. His foot is high and it should be a foul."

Roy Keane then made it three from three from the pundits, saying: "I think Burnley are lucky there. Longstaff is about 6ft himself, so that's some stretch, and they're very fortunate there."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.