What the VAR said was the reason they allowed Newcastle's first goal to stand against Tottenham
01/04/2025 08:00 AM
Newcastle United and Spurs played out one of the most frenetic openings to a Premier League game you're likely to ever see on Saturday.
Indeed, this game was always going to be something of a rollercoaster, and both teams scored their opening goals of the game within the first seven minutes.
Dominic Solanke opened the scoring for Tottenham with a brilliant diving header, while Anthony Gordon levelled the game just minutes later with a brilliant left-footed strike.
However, Gordon's goal wasn't without controversy.
Indeed, moments before Newcastle’s goal, Joelinton intercepted a Lucas Bergvall pass with an intense bit of pressing, but the ball did strike the Brazilian's hand before he laid it off to Bruno Guimaraes who assisted Gordon.
VAR checked and cleared the goal quickly, and speaking on TNT Sports, Darren Fletcher explained why VAR allowed this goal to stand.
Why Anthony Gordon's goal vs Tottenham wasn't disallowed
According to Fletcher, who had heard from Stockley Park, the reason VAR didn't disallow this goal was due to the fact Joelinton's hadn was by his side and in a natural position.
Chris Kavanagh was on VAR duty today, and he clearly thinks this goal should've stood.
Ange Postecoglou was of a different opinion as he was visibly frustrated by this decision.
VAR, as ever, has been in the spotlight recently, Tottenham were on the wrong end of another VAR decision a few weeks ago as Moises Caicedo wasn't sent off during their game against Chelsea for a very robust and dangerous challenge.
Tottenham vs Newcastle past VAR drama
This isn't the first time we've seen a bit of drama involving VAR in this fixture.
Indeed, back in 2020, there was a very controversial VAR call when Spurs faced Newcastle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Late in the game, Eric Dier was penalised for an outrageous handball decision, a decision that even Andy Carroll disagreed with after the game.
These two decisions perfectly showcase how the handball rule has changed in recent years, and that is a real point of contention among many fans as it does feel as though rules can be changed at a moment's notice, leaving a lot of room for inconsistency between decisions.
Spurs and Newcastle have history of VAR drama, and now, on two occasions, handball decisions have gone Newcastle's way.
