Virgil van Dijk appeared to catch Anthony Gordon in an off-the-ball incident
Virgil van Dijk appeared to catch Anthony Gordon in an off-the-ball incident
It was a busy night for referee Andy Madley at St James' Park, and he left the pitch with no doubt over what the Newcastle United fans made of his evening's work.
The official turned down two big penalty appeals for Eddie Howe's side - and one from Liverpool - and blew for full-time just as the Magpies were launching a late attack. The referee left the field to a chorus of boos from the home crowd, with Howe expressing his surprise that more time wasn't added on following a delayed free-kick.
It made for a lively discussion on Sky Sports' Ref Watch, where ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher gives his verdict on the big decisions from the latest round of Premier League fixtures. Many felt Newcastle could have been awarded a first-half penalty when Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk collided with Anthony Gordon after the United foward had been denied by Caoimhin Kelleher.
The Reds skipper appeared to shoulder Gordon in the face, but VAR opted not to intervene, and Gallagher gave his verdict.
"It's difficult to say," he said. "There's two players running side-by-side, does he throw his arm into him? His arms are by his side. He doesn't use his elbow as a weapon. The referee judges it as a coming together, VAR has a look and says no. Referee's decision is the default.
"They have to say is it violent conduct if it's going to be a red card. We see there's a clash. Clenched fist, elbow drawn back, that's when you think it's violent. He leaves a bit on him, but not enough for the referee."
Turning to the moment Madley blew for full-time, Gallagher had sympathy for the referee, and pointed to several players who had clearly heard the whistle. United keeper Nick Pope earned a booking for his protest after his long throw had sent Alexander Isak away.
"I feel for the referee as the players continued on one side but not the other," Gallagher added. "He blows the whistle early and all the Liverpool players stopped. It was such an exciting game."
Liverpool felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Alexis Mac Allister's shot his Dan Burn's arm from close range, with the Premier League Match Centre X account explaining why no spot-kick was awarded, due to the Newcastle defender's body position.
"When you see it front-on, you see Burn tucks his elbows into his chest," Gallagher said. "It hits his elbow, no doubt. His elbow is into his body. If it doesn't hit that, it's into his chest. The one thing the refs have been really good on this year is handball. Last year it was a lottery at times, but it's in a much safer place where everyone will say yes. Liverpool will be disappointed, but most people agree it's not what we want for handball."