Newcastle United can count themselves lucky today that Bruno Guimaraes didn’t see red early on in the 2-2 draw against West Ham.
It’s fair to say that referee Peter Bankes didn’t have the best of games this afternoon, especially if you’re a West Ham fan.
Bruno Guimaraes went into the referee’s book early on in the first half and then, not too long after was pulled up for a foul on James Ward-Prowse which also looked worthy of a yellow. The referee fortunately kept his cards in his pocket.
Miguel Almiron and Bruno Guimaraes were very lucky
There was also an incident in the first half were Bankes booked a West Ham player for signaling for a yellow card but then failed to award one for Newcastle‘s Miguel Almiron for the exact same offence. Almiron also went into the book in the second half for a bad challenge so could also have seen red.
Add to those incidents the fact that Newcastle’s first goal came from a free-kick that shouldn’t have been awarded and it’s safe to say West Ham had every right to be aggrieved.
When Eddie Howe was asked after the game if he felt that Bruno Guimaraes was lucky to still be on the pitch, the Newcastle boss told Sky Sports: “I thought the second one would have been very, very soft. For me it was probably a warning from the referee to say ‘be careful’, from there Bruno managed himself very well for the rest of the match.”
A draw was probably a fair result in the end
It was a diplomatic answer from the gaffer, but let’s be honest, you know that he knows we got away with one.
On reflection the draw as a fair result. Newcastle were the better side, especially in the second half, but the decisions that went against the Hammers definitely mean that a draw was right outcome.
A point each means neither side moves places in the Premier League table going into the international break.
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