Newcastle United will be left cursing VAR and referee Rob Jones following their 0-0 draw with Bournemouth.
Eddie Howe is still without a Premier League win against his former club, as his side leave the Vitality Stadium with another point on the board.
Newcastle drew with Bournemouth, continuing their run of not conceding away from home. It was another excellent defensive performance from the Magpies, but it was a different story at the opposite end of the pitch.
Despite having Nick Woltemade back in the starting XI, Newcastle failed to trouble the Bournemouth goal. They had just one shot on target, with Jacob Murphy’s first-half effort saved by Djordje Petrovic.
However, it could have been different had the Magpies been awarded a penalty.
Newcastle United penalty appeal was ‘theatrical’
In the 52nd minute, Newcastle felt they should have been given a penalty.
Woltemade controlled a Tino Livramento cross, only to hit the deck after having his shirt clearly pulled by Cherries centre-back Bafode Diakite.
Newcastle’s most expensive signing dramatically fell to the floor, as the Magpies’ protests were waved away by the referee and VAR.
Replays showed there was a clear shirt pull, which is something officials are trying to clamp down on. However, that seemingly was not the case on Sunday.
Following the incident, former Premier League defender Francis Benali told BBC Sport that Newcastle might have been awarded a penalty had Woltemade not been so ‘theatrical’.
“My initial feeling was that Woltemade was looking for it a little bit, but there is contact,” he said.
“Maybe if he wasn’t as theatrical with it, he could have had a case.”
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Poor decisions evened each other out during Bournemouth vs Newcastle United
Newcastle are right to believe they should have been awarded a penalty against Bournemouth.
In the same vein, Howe’s side were lucky to end the game with 11 players on the pitch.
Malick Thiaw was handed his first Newcastle United start in the absence of Fabian Schar, and it was an impressive performance from the summer signing.
However, he was very lucky not to be sent off for two yellow cards. Having been booked for a handball, Thiaw then gave away a cynical foul on the edge of his own box just a few minutes later. It should really have resulted in a second booking, but Thiaw’s blushes were spared by the referee.
Howe quickly responded by replacing Thiaw with Jamaal Lascelles, which spoke volumes about how worried the Newcastle United manager was.
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