Newcastle United handed double penalty verdict after Brighton controversy
Latest Newcastle United news and gossip as the Magpies have two penalties overturned during their Premier League draw with Brighton
Newcastle United have been handed a double verdict after three penalties were awarded during their draw with Brighton.
The Magpies were forced to settle for a point in their Premier League clash against the Seagulls on Sunday afternoon. Alexander Isak scored the only goal for Newcastle, which came from the penalty spot in the closing minutes at the Amex Stadium.
Eddie Howe’s side were awarded their first penalty by referee Craig Pawson for a foul on Anthony Gordon, which was later overturned by VAR due to the challenge being judged to be outside the box.
Newcastle were then given a second penalty after Joe Willock was judged to have been fouled by Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke. VAR then intervened and the spot-kick was overturned, with Willock subsequently booked for simulation.
Newcastle were then awarded a third penalty of the afternoon for a handball by Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari during a Fabian Schar free-kick. This time, the decision was not overturned and Isak took the spot-kick and scored to take his goal tally up to 26 in all competitions for the season.
“This might be third time lucky,” said Hendrie during the check for the Newcastle penalty. “It’s massive – it’s definitely a penalty.”
After Isak found the back of the net, Hendrie added: “That’s top composure and a top penalty. [Bart] Verbruggen wouldn’t have got near it anyway.”
Isak had only had a solitary touch inside the Brighton box up to that point, during an otherwise frustrating afternoon, but Newcastle’s top scorer showed remarkable composure when his side needed him most to sit Bart Verbruggen down and send the Brighton goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 1-1.
Rather than punching the air in front of the away end behind the goal, Isak immediately attempted to wrestle the ball from the arms of Verbruggen, who was not letting go, even after Callum Wilson arrived on the scene and Harvey Barnes pushed the goalkeeper. That was the cue for angry Brighton captain Lewis Dunk to grab Barnes by the collar of his shirt and give the Newcastle forward a piece of his mind.
