Leicester kicked off their rout of Newcastle with a hugely contentious penalty won by James Maddison.
In a first half that was fairly even, the Foxes were able to take the lead via a Youri Tielemans spot kick.
It was won by Maddison, who was seen falling to the ground just as Sky Sports cut back to the Toon game after spoiling the conclusion of the dramatic F1 season.
While the Grand Prix was controversial, so was Leicester’s penalty.
Newcastle handed them an opportunity, messing about with possession in and around their own box. Maddison pounced on a stray touch from Jonjo Shelvey, before channelling his inner Tom Daley.
The Leicester midfielder anticipated a challenge from Jamaal Lascelles, flying into the air like a fish out of water and hitting the deck to con the referee.
Peter Bankes bought the dive, and handed Leicester the chance to take the lead. VAR failed to intervene, and an injustice helped Leicester on their way to a huge 4-0 win.
It was a shocking decision, and one that former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher didn’t agree with.
What did Dermot Gallagher think?
Gallagher was speaking on Sky Sports on Monday morning, discussing the contentious decisions of the weekend.
Of course, one of those was the penalty given to Brendan Rodgers’ side. But Gallagher believes it shouldn’t have been awarded.
“For me, I think it’s very very lucky to get a penalty,” the ex-referee said.
He was then asked if he would have given it, to which he swiftly replied ‘no’.
Gallagher was joined in the studio by host Rob Wotton, and former players Stephen Warnock and Sue Smith. Warnock questioned the role of VAR, which is one of the key problems, while Smith believed it was a penalty. That’s despite the fact there are angles that show Maddison clearly diving…
James Maddison penalty decision the least of Newcastle’s worries
It was incredibly frustrating to see Leicester take the lead from a penalty they shouldn’t have been given. It was a shocking decision. Toon legend Alan Shearer wasn’t happy about it, questioning whether or not it was a dive from Maddison.
However, would the result have been any different? They went on to run away with the game, handing Newcastle their worst defeat of the season.
While the penalty was contentious, Newcastle still could have found a way back into the game. But they were unable to. Instead, they allowed Leicester to cut them open at will.
Dodgy referee decisions and VAR failures are incredibly frustrating. When you’re down the bottom, it feels like everything goes against you.
But it wasn’t the reason we lost yesterday. And it’s not the reason we’re embroiled in a relegation battle.
Eddie Howe’s side have big problems, and he desperately needs to find a solution.
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