VAR

IT IS a curious old job Eddie Howe has inherited. He is the new manager of the wealthiest club on Earth and of the only club in English professional football without a win this season.  
Isaac Hayden was the saviour for Newcastle with his second-half equaliserCredit: Getty
Lewis Dunk ended the game in goal after Robert Sanchez was sent offCredit: Reuters
Even in the build-up to this match, it was suggested that Howe – infamous for his reluctance to accept job offers during and after his reign at Bournemouth – might pull out of a deal to succeed Steve Bruce at Newcastle.  
Yet Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall were sitting next to Geordie Arabia’s figurehead Amanda Staveley in the Amex Stadium directors box, with a contract agreed and a deal set to be announced. 
And when Isaac Hayden rescued an unlikely point to lift Newcastle off the bottom of the Premier League table, Howe was beaming widely.  
It might have been even better news for the in-coming boss when Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez was sent off in injury-time, with Lewis Dunk forced into goal for eight minutes of injury-time. 
Typically, though, Newcastle were unable to test the stand-in keeper, who did not have to touch the ball once he had taken Sanchez’s shirt.
And they ended up with an unwanted club record of an 11-match winless start to a season.

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It has been a chaotic start for Staveley and her Saudi overlords – not short of embarrassment on or off the pitch.
But in Howe, Newcastle have landed a very decent manager, with one footballing miracle already on his CV.
Back in 2011, Howe saved Bournemouth from relegation from the Football League despite a 17-point deduction and then led from the basement division to the Premier League.
It would not exactly be miraculous to save Newcastle from the drop this season – especially as they will surely invest heavily in the January window.
But until the market opens, and the cavalry arrives, every point is precious for a team which currently looks like absolute relegation fodder.
Upcoming home matches against Brentford, Norwich and Burnley will go a long way to deciding whether Newcastle are in a bleak or a hopeful position by the team the Saudis can start spraying the cash about.
Brighton were the better team for the majority of this match but they could only manage a controversial Leandro Trossard penalty and were made to pay for their inability to turn dominance into clear-cut chances.
Graham Potter – who is what Howe was a few years ago, the next big thing in English football management – has done a fine job on the south coast but there have been too many matches like this when Brighton have lacked the killer touch.
HOWE WAS THAT
In midweek, it had seemed certain that Unai Emery would be in the visitors’ dugout for this match but the Villarreal boss got spooked by the lack of professionalism from the new St James’ Park regime and opted to remain in Spain.
So it was back to Howe, pictured alongside Staveley before kick-off, having just heard that Norwich’s win at Brentford had sent his new club rock-bottom.
Howe did witness a bright start, one sharp break ending with Miguel Almiron angling a pass for Jacob Murphy, who dragged a shot wide.
Brighton barely threatened before their fortuitous opener midway through the first half.
From a corner, Trossard appeared to be looking for a penalty, going down too easily after a slight tug of the shirt and a nibble of the boot from Ciaran Clark.
Ref David Coote was not interested at first glance but, like so many, it was one of those incidents which look far more incriminating in slow motion.
So when Coote was sent to the touchline monitor by his VAR Craig Pawson, he did the old Lionel Blair tribute TV gesture and pointed to the spot.
Trossard, who had scored in last week’s draw at Liverpool, went straight down the middle to beat Karl Darlow.
Eddie Howe was in the stands at the Amex alongside Jason Tindall and Amanda StaveleyCredit: PA
Ciaran Clark fouled Leandro Trossard for the Brighton penaltyCredit: Getty
Trossard scored from the spot to fire Brighton in frontCredit: Alamy
It was harsh on Newcastle but it lifted the Seagulls and Joel Veltman soon flashed a centre across the face of goal, with Tariq Lamptey and Trossard diving in but neither getting a touch.
The travelling Toon Army were soon getting restless, urging ‘attack, attack, attack!’ but their heroes were unable to oblige.
Adam Lallana was making things tick in the Brighton midfield and the superior teamwork of Potter’s men was beginning to show.
Potter sent on Alexis Mac Allister in place of Enock Mwepu at the break and Lallana was soon releasing Trossard for a shot which was saved at the near post by Darlow.
Trossard then picked out Marc Cucurella, who headed wide across the face of goal.
Then the best move of the match – an Ederson-esque pass from Brighton keeper Sanchez, a gorgeous take-down from Cucurella and Trossard cutting back for Lallana to shoot narrowly wide.
But Brighton failed to capitalise on their dominance and, pretty much out of the blue, Newcastle were level midway through the second half.
Matt Ritchie delivered a deep cross from the left, Clark headed back and Hayden rifled home – sending caretaker boss Graeme Jones into wild celebration on the touchline.
Then the late drama as Sanchez raced out of his goal and clipped Callum Wilson’s heel – the VAR again sending Coote to his monitor before he delivered the red card.
Hayden fired the ball low into the ground past Robert Sanchez and Tariq Lamptey on the lineCredit: Reuters
Referee David Coote made two big decisions after going over to check the VAR monitorCredit: Getty
Sanchez was red-carded after a VAR check for denying Callum Wilson’s obvious goalscoring opportunityCredit: Reuters
Graham Potter’s side started well but allowed the visitors to get back into the gameCredit: PA
Eddie Howe joins Amanda Staveley at the AMEX to watch Newcastle play Brighton More

PREMIER LEAGUE winners Alan Shearer and Dion Dublin couldn’t believe Brighton were awarded a penalty against Leicester.Foxes defender Jannik Vestergaard was penalised for handball but was being pulled to the floor by Seagulls striker Neal Maupay.
Jannik Vestergaard was judged to have handled the ball in the boxCredit: Rex
But Alan Shearer believes it was a poor decision by the officialsCredit: Getty
Aston Villa icon Dublin was perplexed as to how the officials didn’t spot Maupay impeding Vestergaard before the handball.
Watching a replay of the incident on Match of the Day, Dublin asked: “And they don’t see it in the VAR booth – I don’t get it!”
Maupay converted the penalty and Brighton went on to secure a 2-1 win at the Amex on Sunday afternoon – their fourth Prem win of the season.
A Danny Welbeck header doubled the lead before Jamie Vardy pulled one back and Leicester had two goals disallowed by VAR for offside.
The result leaves Brighton fourth in the table, with the Foxes languishing down in 12th after back-to-back Prem defeats.
Newcastle legend Shearer was in agreement with Dublin, adding: “That should not be allowed to happen. 

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“That is a clear foul. They obviously missed that, I don’t think they’ve looked at that.
“They’ve just looked at the handball and they haven’t looked at Maupay obviously pulling him.”
Speaking after the match, Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers expressed his frustration with the three VAR decisions that went against his team.
He said: “We just never had the luck on our side with those decisions and I think ultimately that cost us.
“Probably like everyone, I think the first one was never a penalty and I was disappointed with the process in terms of how that was given but I think it was clear that it wasn’t a penalty.
“Jannik has been fouled, he’s been pulled down and of course his arm is up because he’s been fouled and then the ball heads onto his hand without even looking at it.”
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CHELSEA players reacted furiously with referee Anthony Taylor after Reece James was sent off for a controversial handball.And then the Blues got themselves into a huge bust-up with Liverpool’s stars in a dramatic end to the first half at Anfield.
Reece James made the block on the goalline but it bounced off his leg on to his handCredit: Sky Sports
The Chelsea players reacted angrily after conceding the equaliserCredit: Getty

Leading 1-0 in injury time, Chelsea failed to defend a corner properly as Joel Matip hit the bar and then James appeared to make a stunning goalline clearance to deny Sadio Mane.
But Taylor consulted the VAR monitor and saw the ball ricocheted off James’ thigh and up on to his arm before he thumped the ball clear.
And with that, the ref brandished the red card for the denying of a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Perplexed James could do nothing as his team-mates surrounded the man in black to make their feelings clear.
Antonio Rudiger earned himself a yellow card for dissent.
And then after Mo Salah kept his cool to dispatch the spot-kick, Edouard Mendy found himself in the book, too.

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As the ball came back out of the net, he attempted to swing a foot at it and almost caught Reds skipper Jordan Henderson who reacted angrily and sparked a shoving match between the two sets of players.
Things calmed down, allowing the final seconds of the first half to be played out.
But as soon as the whistle went, Jorginho, Mason Mount, Marcos Alonso and captain Cesar Azpilicueta surrounded Taylor once again to remonstrate and reason – still to no avail.
And the reaction on social media was clearly divided.
One said: “I can see why the Chelsea players are unhappy but if they see the replays, they’ll understand.”
But another replied: “If Anthony Taylor actually looks at the replays he’ll see why they’re unhappy!”
A third added: “Play to the rules, handle a ball on the line and stop a goal, you walk – or in Chelsea’s case moan, moan, and loose their rag, things don’t always go your way in life, even for Chelsea.”
And a final reasonable user commented: “Unfortunate, bad luck, but 100% correct call per the rules. Nothing to complain about.”
Anthony Taylor brought out the red card after checking the VAR monitorCredit: Getty
Edouard Mendy also picked up a yellow card after swinging a boot near Jordan HendersonCredit: AFP
Tempers flared between the two sides in the closing stages of the first halfCredit: Sky Sports
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