Chelsea were 2-0 down at half-time but could also have been down to 10 men after another big talking point
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea fouls Newcastle United's Jacob Ramsey
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea was booked for this challenge on Newcastle United's Jacob Ramsey
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Chelsea should have been down to 10 men long before their comeback against Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday, according to former Magpies goalkeeper Shay Given.
Eddie Howe and Co were left frustrated as the Blues came back from 2-0 down to earn a Premier League point on Tyneside, particlularly after some contentious second-half decisions.
Newcastle were adamant they should have had at least one penalty, after Anthony Gordon was felled by Trevoh Chalobah in the box, while Harvey Barnes was also twice brought down in dangerous situations.
United had dominated the first half and led thanks to a Nick Woltemade brace, and perhaps should have been even further ahead after a series of missed opportunities.
However, speaking on Match of the Day, Given was quick to highlight a first-half incident when Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho earned a yellow card for a foul on United's Jacob Ramsey, with the ex-United keeper feeling it could well have been red.
“I understand Eddie Howe’s frustrations because some of the decisions I actually disagreed with myself," he said.
“There was a few decisions the referee had to make and they weren’t easy, don’t get my wrong. The first one came in the first half and I thought it was a really nasty challenge from Alejandro Garnacho.
“If you watch it slowly, he doesn’t make any attempt to play the ball, he goes over the top and clearly catches him really high up. VAR didn’t intervene but I think that’s a really dangerous tackle from Garnacho and one he gets away with.”
Speaking about Chalobah's challenge on Gordon, he added: "The one Eddie Howe was really angry about after the game was the penalty.
"Gordon has got ahead of Chalobah and the defender has made no attempt to play the ball. You could argue it’s shoulder-to-shoulder but he even comes across him with his leg.
“I don’t think that’s a difficult decision; I think that’s a stonewall penalty. You can see and understand why Howe is angry with some of the decisions because these small instances make a big difference.”
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