Gary Lineker thinks something is wrong with VAR after Newcastle vs Spurs and even Alan Shearer agrees

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Newcastle United were awarded a penalty against Tottenham Hotspur that just about everyone agrees should never have been given.

With not long left on the clock, Newcastle United were able to take the lead against Spurs through a fine Anthony Gordon penalty.

It all counted for nothing, of course, with Tottenham clawing back in the final moments to share the points on the night.

While fans fume about Eddie Howe’s tactics and the poor performance from Aaron Ramsdale, the controversial penalty Newcastle were given is a major talking point for neutrals.

Awarded after Rodrigo Bentancur tussled with Dan Burn in the box, most outside of the Newcastle fanbase have said it was a case of six of one, half a dozen of the other, but the spot-kick still ended up being given.

• READ MORE: Newcastle United player ratings vs Spurs as Bruno Guimaraes proves a point but 4/10 man disappoints

VAR is influencing referees too much

Interestingly, referee Thomas Bramall didn’t give a penalty at the time, before VAR intervened and told him to go to the monitor. He changed his mind once reviewing the footage.

Discussing this incident on The Rest is Football, even Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer was baffled by the fact his team got the penalty call.

He said: “I was actually thinking, he’s going to go to the monitor and he’s going to stick with his original decision, which was no penalty. Obviously, he didn’t give it. And I’m thinking, once he sees this, is he going to actually believe there’s enough to say he’s made an absolute howler here?

“If you give him that, I think you’re giving five, six, seven, eight penalties a game. There wasn’t enough in it for me for it to be a penalty.”

Gary Lineker agreed, and picked out the fact that referees very rarely stick to their guns when they are asked to review footage.

“It’s mad really how rare it is that a referee will stick with his on-field decision after the influence when he’s sent to a monitor.” Lineker said.

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Newcastle didn’t deserve penalty, but did deserve three points

Even the most ardent Newcastle fan would probably, secretly agree that the penalty was soft, to say the least. But, it did give the Magpies a deserved lead.

Newcastle dominated Spurs for much of the game and really should have come away from St. James’ Park with all three points.

The home side registered an xG of 2.04 while Spurs only managed 0.75, which tells you all you need to know. Newcastle also had 19 shots to Tottenham’s eight, and enjoyed the majority of possession with 53% to 47% for the away team.

It was a strong yet frustrating display from Newcastle, with poor defending costing them two points. If you ask me, Eddie Howe shut up shop and invited pressure by switching to five at the back, and it’s not the first time that’s happened.

The Newcastle United manager must throw caution to the wind and be bold, and the rewards will surely follow.

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