Ex-refs chief: The footage I’ve seen shows Newcastle star ‘cheated’ against Chelsea
Harvey Barnes has been accused of attempting to deceive the referee during Newcastle’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea.
It was a match full of controversy, with Andy Madley making multiple contentious decisions at St. James’ Park.
While VAR allowed Nick Woltemade’s second against Chelsea, many Magpies fans felt that the referee made many decisions against the hosts.
Alejandro Garnacho was fortunate not to be sent off for Chelsea after a clash with Jacob Ramsey. On top of this, Newcastle fans felt that they should have had a penalty in the second half for the challenge on Anthony Gordon.
However, when Barnes went down in the last minute of the match, former referee Keith Hackett has backed Madley’s decision not give a foul the hosts’ way.
Keith Hackett: Harvey Barnes attempted to deceive the referee
Late in the match, Barnes found himself through in added time as he looked to net a late winner.
With Reece James just behind the Newcastle star, the attacker then went to ground, with Madley waving away calls for a foul.
Looking back on the incident, Hackett exclusively told Football Insider that Barnes went down too easily and should have been booked for simulation.
He said: “Harvey Barnes was in a good position just outside his opponents’ penalty area, but sadly went to ground.
“For me, that is an act of simulation.
“The referee should have ideally picked this up. Difficult, but it is a yellow card – an act of simulation and attempting to deceive the referee.
“He has gone down far too easily.”
Newcastle continue to lose points from winning positions
While Barnes may argue that James should have been sent off, it would have likely done little to impact the overall result of the match.
In the end, it was another two points dropped by Eddie Howe’s side in a winning position.
According to Sky Sports on 20 December, prior to the 3pm kick-offs, Newcastle have now lost the most points from winning positions this Premier League campaign.
The Magpies are currently level with Brentford in this dreadful statistic, with 13 points dropped to date.
Howe will need to quickly solve this issue if he is to ease the growing pressure on his job at St. James’ Park.