Exclusive: Santiago Bueno goal ‘wrongly ruled out by VAR’ at Newcastle
Santiago Bueno’s goal against Newcastle was incorrectly ruled out by VAR as Wolves were beaten at St. James’ Park, according to Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the decision to disallow the goal was the wrong one due to “insufficient evidence” that the handball was deliberate.
The decision happened in the 80th minute of the match, with Newcastle already leading 3-0 at that point.
The Magpies had taken the lead through an Alexander Isak goal in the 34th minute, and the Swedish international doubled his tally with a calmly taken finish in the 57th minute.
Isak then turned provider, as he set up his teammate Anthony Gordon in the 74th minute with the English winger left completely unmarked in the Wolves box.
Ex-PGMOL chief: Bueno goal wrongly disallowed by VAR at Newcastle
Despite Newcastle being in complete control at that point, and a goal unlikely to change the outcome of the match, the moment was not an insignificant one.
Ipswich climbed above Wolves, despite not playing (15 January) and sharing the same points total of 16. The 3-0 loss means that Wolves now have a goal difference of -17 compared to Ipswich’s -15.
One wrong penalty call being the difference between survival and relegation sounds hyperbolic, but football is a game of fine margins.
Having seen the decision made by referee Darren England, Hackett had this to say: “Frankly there is insufficient evidence for me that this is a deliberate handball. If in striking that hand/arm, even accidentally, it then went directly into goal off the arm then that would be justification to rule the goal out.
“In this case it’s dropped to ground and is kicked into goal. Tonali is holding his opponent’s arm when the ball struck.
“I think that the match officials have some doubt about the legality of the goal and frankly are wrong to rule it out.
“There is not a clear and obvious error by the referee so goal should have been allowed.”
The game also saw a penalty decision not go the Midlands side’s way after Tino Livramento brought Matheus Cunha down in the box.
Newcastle were in complete control for the entire game, despite a few scares, thanks in large part to Arsenal transfer-target, Isak.
The Magpies made it seven Premier League wins in a row as they climbed to fourth in the table.
In other news, Newcastle are preparing an offer for this England international.
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