‘Disgrace’, ‘Absurd’ – Newcastle fans outraged after what happened to Anthony Elanga vs PSG
Anthony Elanga was a major talking point for all the wrong reasons as Newcastle United drew 1-1 with PSG in the Champions League.
Referee Slavko Vincic also made some strange decisions on Wednesday, 28 January, causing both sets of supporters to erupt at the Parc des Princes, alongside goals from Vitinha and Joe Willock.
Many of the travelling supporters were stunned when Eddie Howe dropped Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes for a makeshift forward line, but the Magpies caused plenty of issues in Paris.
Within the first minute, Lewis Miley had conceded a penalty, which was saved by Nick Pope, and that was just one contentious decision being made in the opening 45 minutes.
Anthony Elanga causes an explained issue with the referee
With 20 minutes gone by, Elanga went flying into a clumsy challenge on Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, but with Newcastle being awarded the free-kick, fans were baffled when he was shown the yellow card.
Labelled as “the worst decision I’ve ever seen” by an away fan and “absurd” by another, supporters were just left in disbelief by the caution, a moment which went unexplained in the Champions League.
Clearly, supporters were frustrated with the referee’s entire performance at the Parc des Princes, but this decision really stunned them, being called out as a “disgrace to the species” by one angry fan.
- @STforSewell: “Never seen anything like that before. Elanga gets to the ball first, gets taken out ref gives us a free kick, then books Elanga, who hasn’t said a word to him. Have I missed something?”
- @agbnufc_: “This referee is a disgrace to the species, a horrific penalty decision, books Elanga for winning a foul, pulling back fouls to stop us breaking. It’s an absolutely different sport vs these elite clubs.”
- @CharIieBennett: “Anthony Elanga is given a yellow card for getting tackled. Mental.”
Elanga’s performance by numbers vs PSG is still concerning
It is safe to say that the former Nottingham Forest man has struggled to adapt to life at St James’ Park since signing in the summer, and his weaknesses were blatant against PSG.
Hooked after 68 minutes, the 23-year-old failed to create a single chance or complete a dribble, with just three touches in the opposition box, and winning just 40 per cent of his ground duels [FotMob].
He also lost possession seven times [Sofascore], causing Howe to go to his bench for Gordon and Barnes for the final 20 minutes, and they made an immediate impact straight away.
The duo could have linked up to score the winner on two separate occasions, with Barnes missing a glorious chance in the closing stages, but hitting the side netting with a sliced shot instead.
It was clear that the Magpies came with a game plan, but had they been more brave, it could have been all three points away from home for the Premier League side.