Referee Graham Scott played an important role in Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with Wolves.
With the four minutes of stoppage time completed, Scott allowed play to carry on. Willy Boly challenged Martin Dubravka in the air, with the Wolves man coming out on top to net a last-gasp equaliser.
Many people complained that it was a foul on the Newcastle keeper, while others said he needed to be stronger. Many people also complained that Scott should have blown the whistle for full time, but others point to the fact that Rafa Benitez did make a substitution in stoppage time.
Both of those decisions were contentious, but there was another moment earlier than that that also played a role in Newcastle conceding late.
Did the referee miss a clear foul on Almiron?
In the build up to the goal, Miguel Almiron was at the heart of the action.
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Making his debut, the 25-year-old proved he can do his defensive duties too. Raul Jimenez tried to take the ball past him in the corner, but Almiron stayed vigilant and dispossessed the Mexican striker.
After winning the ball, Almiron got a nudge in the back off Jimenez and hit the deck. It was surely a blatant free kick, right under the nose of the linesman.
Had Newcastle been awarded that free kick, we could’ve got ourselves up the pitch and saw the game out. But no, referee Graham Scott refused to give an obvious free kick. He’s probably blown his whistle in that situation a million times before, but this time allowed Wolves to play on.
For reference, this is the same man that gave Mo Salah a penalty against us on Boxing Day.
We want consistency from referees which we’ll never get, but we at least want the same referees to be consistent with the decisions they make.