Jamie Redknapp slams VAR’s decision to award Newcastle a late penalty in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham, questioning consistency in the Premier League.
The 2-2 draw between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur was marred by controversy as VAR awarded the hosts a late penalty.
Jamie Redknapp, a former England midfielder, blasted the decision, calling it an “absolute mistake” from VAR.
The incident occurred when Rodrigo Bentancur was deemed to have fouled Dan Burn in the box, with the initial on-field decision overturned after a pitch-side review. Anthony Gordon converted the penalty, putting Newcastle ahead with four minutes to go, but Cristian Romero’s late equalizer denied them the win.
“Look at Dan Burn, he’s not even complaining,” Redknapp said. “He gets up to make a gesture, but he’s not once got up with any aggression to say to the referee, ‘What are you doing?’ Where’s the consistency? We see this game in and game out in the Premier League, and they don’t get given.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe defended the decision, saying, “I’ve seen it again, the defender doesn’t look at the ball, he’s just focused on Dan and Dan goes down, so I can see why it was given.”
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank also criticized the decision, saying it was an “absolute mistake” and that the referee’s initial call should have stood.
The outcome leaves both teams in the bottom half of the table, with Spurs still winless in five games and Newcastle seeing their winning streak come to an end.
