Newcastle United now told about a shocking VAR error from all the way back in December

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Newcastle United are locked in a very tight battle in the Premier League. 

The top five in the Premier League could qualify for the Champions League next season, obviously affording Newcastle United much more of a chance to reaching Europe’s elite club competition once again.

Newcastle are fifth in the Premier League table and are behind fourth-placed Chelsea on only goal difference. Eddie Howe’s side also have a game in hand on most of the teams also vying for the same spots. 

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	31	17	6	8	51	37	14	57
4	ChelseaChelsea	31	15	8	8	54	37	17	53
5	NewcastleNewcastle	30	16	5	9	52	39	13	53
6	Man CityManchester City	31	15	7	9	57	40	17	52
7	Aston VillaAston Villa	31	14	9	8	46	46	0	51

Still, the race is tight. None of the teams going for the top five can afford to drop many more points between now and the end of the campaign.

With that in mind, tight VAR calls take on an added significance. When the stakes are so high, they’re likely to be analysed over and over again.

While a lot of water has passed under the bridge since Newcastle’s 3-3 draw with Liverpool back in December, former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has gone back over what he believes to have been a mistake.

• READ MORE: Who is Anthony Gordon? Age, height, career, position, girlfriend

Newcastle United told of huge VAR error from way back in December  

The draw with Liverpool towards the end of 2024 was fairly controversial.

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk collided with Anthony Gordon off the ball, sending the Newcastle star to the ground with what appeared to be a body check.

VAR official Stuart Attwell cleared the incident on the night but, speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Hackett claims that was a mistake. In his view, the Dutchman should have been booked while also conceding a penalty to Newcastle. 

“Gordon was brought down to the ground by a late and deliberate body check, Van Dijk deliberately changing direction to move in front of and use his shoulder against his opponent,” he said.

“This should have resulted in a penalty kick and a minimum yellow card.”

Why Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe does not like VAR

VAR has been perhaps the biggest change football has seen since the changing of the back pass rule back in 1992.

Clearly, it’s divisive. There remain some teething problems in its use, particularly in how long some of the checks take.

Newcastle manager Howe does like how long VAR takes to check a decision, believing it to ruin the spectacle for supporters in the ground.

It’s difficult to argue with that. Perhaps we’ll never get 100% accuracy given the human element involved but to take up so much time is hugely frustrating.