VAR fails to step in over disallowed Newcastle goal as there 'wasn't enough angles'

VAR fails to step in over disallowed Newcastle goal as there 'wasn't enough angles',Newcastle United thought they gave themselves a first-half lead in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final vs Southampton, only for it to be controversially disallowed by referee Stuart Attwell

VAR fails to step in over disallowed Newcastle goal as there ‘wasn’t enough angles’

Newcastle United’s disallowed goal was not overruled by VAR as there were not enough angles to decipher if it was a clear and obvious mistake.

Joelinton thought he gave the Magpies a first-half lead in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final when he fired home from close range in the 39th minute. After Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu pushed Joe Willock’s effort back into the danger area, a brief goalmouth scramble led to the ball rolling up Joelinton’s chest and dropping down for him to smash into the back of the net.

However, the Brazilian’s celebrations were cut short as referee Stuart Attwell believed the ball hit Joelinton’s hand before he lashed it into the back of the net. But despite the fact different angles appear to paint a picture different from the last, VAR did not ask Attwell to go and have a look for himself.

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Some of the angles appeared to show the ball striking his arm, while others appeared to instead show the ball touching his chest instead.

It’s the kind of decision no referee would feel absolutely certain about giving in normal time. Yet, Attwell was not instructed to go and consult the monitor.

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Sky Sports, providing TV coverage for the tie, reported that the VAR team did not believe there were enough camera angles to fully ascertain if the ball did hit the Brazilian’s hand or not.

However, in defence of the VAR, this moment in the game has also divided the football world.

“VAR has worked and been applied properly here. The problem is the rules (yet again) and the interpretation of them,” one fan commented on social media. “Controls the ball with his arm,” another added, feeling more confident in the decision.

Joelinton took his goal well but it was quickly disallowed by Stuart Attwell (Image: Getty Images)

However, one Newcastle fan completely disagreed with the assertions, stating “What’s the point in VAR? They get every single angle available to them, can’t make a decision and just decide to go with whatever the first decision was anyway? It’s literally pointless.”

Another fan also agreed and said: “what is the point in VAR? So many talking points every weekend, it’s supposed to be helping the officials, but it’s making them so lazy and dependent on them upstairs. This is a perfectly good goal.”

Considering the League Cup semi-final is played over two legs, the disallowed goal could prove to be vital. However, Joelinton did manage to avenge his first-half misfortune by bagging the winning goal in the second half to put Eddie Howe’s side in the driving seat, heading into the second leg at St James’ Park.