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Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United: The Premier League have released a statement on the VAR decision to disallow Joe Willock’s opening goal.
Willock had been released by Jacob Ramsey as the former Arsenal man exploited a high line being played by Spurs. Willock, who was joined by Anthony Gordon as he raced in on goal, cut back onto his right foot and placed an effort into the far corner past Vicario.
That goal had been the very least that the Magpies had deserved after a very good first-half in north London. A front three of Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga had tore the Spurs defence apart up to that point, with the latter enjoying one of his finest displays in a black-and-white shirt.
However, their delight after Willock had netted was short-lived when VAR intervened. The technology overruled the refereeing team’s decision on the night to disallow the goal for offside on Willock following Ramsey’s defence-splitting pass.
The semi automated offside technology, though, showed that Willock was marginally offside, although TV pictures didn’t initially show what the technology had ruled on before referee Anthony Taylor had disallowed the goal. Replays soon after, though, revealed the pictures and the reason for the goal being chalked off - Willock’s forehead.
Remarkably, it wasn’t Willock’s leg or foot that had been judged to have been ahead of the covering Spurs defender, but rather the midfielder’s forehead.
Just minutes later, though, the Magpies did take the lead and VAR was not going to rule out that goal as Malick Thiaw poked home a loose ball past Vicario. Thiaw had just seconds earlier seen a header saved brilliantly by the Spurs goalkeeper, but the German international was quickest to react to a loose ball in the six yard box as he found the back of the net for the fourth time in the Premier League this season, putting him joint-top of goalscoring defenders in the league this season.
Premier League release Spurs v Newcastle United VAR statement
As ever, the Premier League Match Centre took to X to explain VAR’s decision to overrule Willock’s goal: ‘#TOTNEW – 45’ VAR OVERTURN. VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Willock was in an offside position and recommended that the goal was disallowed.’
Despite being dominant in the first-half, and beginning the second in a similar manner, Newcastle United’s lead was not to last too long in the second half as Archie Gray levelled for the hosts. Spurs, always a threat from set-pieces under Thomas Frank, hadn’t forced a single corner in the first hour of the match.
However, when they did finally force a corner, they forced an equaliser as Gray slammed home following a knockdown. The hosts were level for less than ten minutes, though, before Ramsey put Newcastle United back into the lead with a very tidy finish before the 70th minute.
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