While Eddie Howe did acknowledge the disallowed goal in his post-match interviews, he didn’t go after the officials with the same vigour that David Moyes did after his side were disallowed a goal from an equally ridiculous VAR decision.
Whether Howe was trying to avoid the fines which usually accompany referee criticism or if it’s just Howe’s calm demeanour shining through, the difference in approach between the two managers is night and day.
Howe said after the match: “Everything we tried in and around the goal didn’t happen. Even the one we did score got disallowed and I don’t agree with that decision, personally. I think it was wrong. I saw it straight away.”
What is more likely, in my opinion, is that Howe knows Newcastle are up against it, he knows that the other teams are out to see us fail and will do all they can to facilitate this, and maybe he believes that the Premier League don’t need any ammunition to look at Newcastle closer than they already do. Again, it’s these anti-Newcastle conspiracies coming to the fore, but there’s no smoke without fire.
Was The Ref Right To Disallow The Goal?
Yes
No
Joe Willock, the man deemed to have fouled Guaita in the goal incident confirmed to NUFC TV that he was pushed but also, quite rightly, points out that Newcastle should have put the game to bed. He said “The ball came across … he obviously barged me in the back then there was a collision with the ‘keeper and the ball ended up in the net. But these talking points are big things in the game but I feel like we should have put the game to bed by then.”
Nobody came closer to doing so than Willock who had one effort tipped around the post and then hooked another wide when he really should have buried it. Confidence in front of goal seems to be something Willock has lost since he’s gained a better understanding and reading of the game. Hopefully, it’s something he can recapture going forward.
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