Newcastle United’s draw with Brighton was a dramatic affair on Sunday.
While a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium has to be seen as a fairly positive result in the context of Newcastle United’s dreadful record there, Eddie Howe’s side could really have done with taking all three points.
Indeed, the battle in the Premier League for the Champions League spots is very fierce. Newcastle also weren’t helped by the fact all of Manchester City, Aston Villa and Chelsea won their games.
It was an eventful day on the south coast. Alexander Isak’s late penalty cancelled out Yankuba Minteh’s opener but the Newcastle United manager saw two other penalty decisions overturned by VAR.
One of those involved Joe Willock, who went over under the challenge of Jan Paul van Hecke.
Joe Willock booked for diving for Newcastle United against Brighton
Willock latched onto a ball from Bruno Guimaraes and first appeared to skip past the Brighton defender, who looked to have brought him down.
However, upon closer inspection from VAR, referee Craig Pawson overturned his initial decision and eventually booked Willock for diving.
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, former Wales defender Danny Gabbidon said: “I’m glad to see Willock getting booked as well because you see it so often these days where they go over easily and don’t.”
Asked about the incident after the game, Howe told Sky Sports: “If Joe Willock wasn’t touched, it’s the right call.”
Joe Willock fails Newcastle United audition
Newcastle fans want Lewis Miley in the starting lineup, with Joelinton expected to miss the rest of the season following a knee injury.
However, it was Willock who got the nod against the Seagulls and it’d be fair to say he didn’t take his chance.
Admittedly, players need a run of games and the 25-year-old has rarely been afforded that this season.
| Shots | Ground duels (won) | Aerial duels (won) | Possession lost | Passing accuracy |
| 0 | 9 (5) | 1 (0) | 6 | 89% |
Still, it was hardly a vintage performance from Willock. As per SofaScore data, he won only five of his attempted nine ground duels, while not winning one in the air. He lost the ball six times and did not have a shot on target.
Based on that performance, Miley surely has to start over Willock against Chelsea next week.
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