Ex-PGMOL chief ‘simply astounded’ at what Jarred Gillett did during Newcastle vs Arsenal
Arsenal travelled up to Newcastle United on Sunday in their bid to regain second place in the Premier League.
Arsenal looked to gain ground on the league leaders after Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace during Saturday’s Premier League action.
Mikel Arteta set Arsenal up in a more aggressive fashion after garnering criticism from pundits for his approach against Manchester City.
Newcastle are looking to get their season kick-started after a poor run to begin the season, despite some good performances.
Keith Hackett ‘astounded’ Jarred Gillett didn’t give Arsenal a penalty against Newcastle United
Midway through the first half, controversy struck as Viktor Gyokeres appeared to be brought down by Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope while through on goal.
Referee Jarred Gillett initially gave the penalty, but that decision was overturned due to a lengthy VAR intervention.
Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett spoke exclusively to Football Insider to give his view on the decision by Gillet and VAR.
Hackett said: “I am simply astounded that Referee Gillett hasn’t awarded a penalty kick after the intervention of VAR. This is an easy decision the goalkeeper has fouled the forward.
“This is Gillett’s fourth match this season involving Arsenal. No matter what capacity, Referee, VAR or 4th official that is too much.
“I find it difficult to understand how a penalty kick has not been awarded to Arsenal,” Hackett concluded.
Gillett the centre of more Arsenal controversy
Despite giving the initial foul, the noise surrounding Gillett’s controversial history with Arsenal is bound to increase after the decision.
Gillett once controversially sent off former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in 2023.
| Jarred Gillet record | Arsenal | Newcastle |
| Games | 10 | 13 |
| Won | 7 | 7 |
| Drawn | 0 | 4 |
| Lost | 3 | 2 |
Tomiyasu was shown two yellow cards by Gillet, once for time wasting and once for a contentious foul on Jordan Ayew.
Gillett perhaps wasn’t the one to make the final call on this controversy, but the penalty drama will hone in on the official nonetheless.