Chelsea may have got away with a VAR decision in their clash with Newcastle, after Trevoh Chalobah appeared to foul Anthony Gordon in the box
Luke Thrower
14:03, 20 Dec 2025Updated 14:12, 20 Dec 2025
Referee Andy Madley waits for a VAR decision during Newcastle United vs Chelsea
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Referee Andy Madley decided not to award a penalty during Newcastle vs Chelsea(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
Chelsea's clash with Newcastle United was mired in controversy as both the referee and the Video Assistant Referee decided against awarding a penalty to the Magpies during the clash at St. James' Park.
It came as Trevoh Chalobah looked to shove Anthony Gordon in the back to help see the ball out of play, however the force and angle made it look like a foul, with the home crowd protesting the decision to wave away the appeal.
VAR checked it and stuck with the initial call of no penalty, which led to quite some controversy, with the supporters left fuming in the stands.
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NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 20: Referee Andy Madley blows his whistle during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James' Park on December 20, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)(Image: (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images))
TNT Sports pundit, and former striker, Ally McCoist said on the challenge: "I think it's a penalty, I really do. I think he's trying to usher him out but he takes him out. It's a penalty, as simple as that. It's a stonewall penalty. I'm staggered at that."
Ex-Chelsea star Joe Cole agreed by saying: "Too much aggression, I think we’ll be hearing from Eddie Howe after the game."
The Premier League Match Centre rushed to explain the decision on social media, stating: "The referee’s call of no penalty to Newcastle was checked 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."
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PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 07: TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final Second Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal FC at Parc des Princes on May 07, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
McCoist vehemently disagreed with that claim, however, as he added on TNT Sports: "It's not side-to-side. It's not side-to-side. He takes him out with his body. He's not, he's shielding the ball if he doesn't touch the player."
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