SHOCKING new footage appears to show the ball did stay ON the pitch before Newcastle’s winner against Arsenal.
The Magpies ended the Gunners’ undefeated run in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory at St James’ Park thanks to Anthony Gordon’s controversial winner.
Gordon broke the deadlock on 64 minutes with a highly questionable goal that demanded three separate VAR checks from the officials which totalled four minutes and six seconds.
Referees first tried to determine if the ball went out of play and then checked whether or not there was a subsequent foul before analysing a potential offside.
Replays were assessed at Stockley Park as VAR officials checked whether the ball had gone out before Joe Willock regained possession.
The ball had appeared to cross the touchline before it was crossed back into the North Londoners’ penalty area.
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Gabriel Magalhaes then went down to the ground under the challenge of Joelinton before Gordon lashed the ball into an empty net.
VAR ultimately deemed there was no clear angle to show whether or not the ball went out before Willock’s cross.
They also determined Gabriel wasn’t fouled and the Gordon was onside.
Regarding the first matter, goal line footage from beIN SPORTS appear to agree with the officials.
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Images prove that a tiny sliver of the ball was still on the line and was correctly considered to be in play before Newcastle hit the back of the net.
However, hosts Richard Keys and Andy Gray still argue the goal should have been chalked off.
That is because they insist there was both a foul on Gabriel and a handball by Joelinton in the build-up.
The VAR decision led to a furious reaction by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who described the refereeing as a “disgrace” and has promised to fight the controversial VAR ruling.
Arteta told Sky Sports: “I have praised my players for the performance and the way that we played – we didn’t deserve to lose the match.
“We lost the match because of the clear and obvious decisions. It’s embarrassing. It’s a disgrace. That’s what it is, a disgrace.”
And when asked if he will be taking up his frustrations with the PGMOL, Arteta made it clear he would indeed be escalating things.
The Spanish tactician said: “Yeah. We will be taking it for many months. There is so much at stake and we put in so many hours.
“I am here to represent the football club and to get my team to compete at the highest level.
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“The margins are so small. It’s a disgrace. It’s embarrassing. That’s how I feel and that’s how everyone feels in that room [the dressing room].
“You cannot imagine the amount of messages that we’ve got saying ‘this cannot continue’. It’s embarrassing, I’m sorry, embarrassing.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
