Newcastle benefitted from a contentious penalty decision with the help of the video assistant referee in their match against Tottenham. The penalty was awarded after Rodrigo Bentancur was deemed to have fouled Dan Burn in the box by impeding his run without looking at the ball.
Initially, the referee Thomas Bramall did not blow his whistle for a foul, but VAR prompted him to review the incident, leading to the penalty decision. Anthony Gordon successfully converted the spot-kick to give Newcastle a late lead at St James’ Park.
The Premier League match center clarified the situation, stating that the referee overturned his original decision after the VAR review, citing Tottenham’s player committing a holding offense without focusing on the ball.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher criticized the decision, describing it as harsh due to Dan Burn’s physical dominance over Bentancur, which caused the contact.
Despite the penalty incident occurring in the 86th minute, Tottenham managed to salvage a point through Cristian Romero’s dramatic overhead kick in the 95th minute. Romero had earlier scored to level the game after Bruno Guimaraes had put Newcastle ahead.
Following the equalizer, Carragher expressed Newcastle’s frustration at Tottenham’s efficiency, scoring twice from only two shots on target. Woodgate acknowledged Tottenham’s resilience but criticized their overall performance, highlighting their lackluster display both offensively and defensively.
Sky has announced a discount on its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, offering savings and an increased number of live Premier League matches for subscribers.