BREAKING NEWS: PGMOL releases official statement on Jamaal Lascelles brutal foul on Victor Gyokeres,Var really failed their duty to spot out the incident
Eddie Howe should have seen one of his players sanctioned by VAR as Newcastle United were stunned by Arsenal at St James’ Park.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that he blames VAR rather than the referee for a missed collision on Sunday, 28 September.
Gabriel Magalhaes deserved to be sent off against the Magpies, and ironically, it was the defender who scored the winner for the Gunners in a 2-1 thriller after goals from Nick Woltemade and Mikel Merino.
Mikel Arteta learned from a key mistake against Newcastle, securing a comeback win to move within two points of table-toppers Liverpool, and that could have been even easier had VAR acted properly.
Jamaal Lascelles clashes with Viktor Gyokeres in a battle for the ball
Tino Livramento was stretchered off the pitch, with Jamaal Lascelles coming on in his place, and it wasn’t long before the veteran defender was amongst the action against Viktor Gyokeres.
Within minutes, the defender grabbed the Arsenal striker around the face and hauling to the floor, an incident which went unnoticed and unpunished by the referee and VAR.
There were several incidents that players were not sanctioned for, including a couple of handball shouts, one for each side, but any red card could have completely flipped the script over the weekend.
In the end, the Gunners eventually found a way to sink the Magpies in front of their own home fans, but Howe will be thankful that he is not dealing with a suspension on top of a new injury concern.
PGMOL are risking escalation of incidents with no punishments
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee raised concerns over the unpunished incident, saying: “Here, we can see Lascelles of Newcastle United grab the face of Gyokeres, and pull it to one side.
“While I can appreciate that not everything is caught by the referee, I do think VAR should have picked this up. This is an offence that should have received a sanction, but this depends on whether excessive force has been used.
“It is certainly reckless, and it cannot and should not be ignored. If it is ignored, all we are going to see is a continued escalation of grabbing, holding, pulling, pushing, and blocking inside the penalty area, which we were informed at the beginning of the season that PGMOL would be taking greater action on.”
