Isaac Hayden received a red card for Newcastle during the dismal defeat at Leicester, and the irony of it should leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Toon fans.
Although Hayden’s challenge was a strong one, he actually won the ball, and did not have his studs up during the follow-through.
In essence, it was a yellow card offence, and despite being checked by the increasingly pathetic VAR, the sending off was upheld.
It begs the question over the whole point of reviewing those types of refereeing decisions, especially as they are ovewhelmingly refusing to step in and overrule them.
But what rubs salt into the wounds for Newcastle fans, was the shocking challenge by Hamza Choudhury on Matt Ritchie during the EFL Cup game between the two sides earlier this season, which had Steve Bruce incensed at the time.
It was a horror challenge, which left Ritchie with stitches, going for a scan and he has not been able to play since.
Choudhury’s punishment? A yellow card.
Of course, there was no VAR in that game. But if there had been, the signs are that the yellow card decision would have been supported.
There is no doubt which of the two fouls was worse, or which had a clear intent – Hayden’s on Sunday was neither of those!
It is nothing new for Newcastle fans, however, who suffered similarly in the season opening game against Spurs a couple of years ago, when Harry Kane made the most horrific of challenges on Florian Lejeune, but did not see red.
Lejeune spent months out of the side after that, and yet, no sending off was deemed necessary – unlike Jonjo Shelvey, who was dismissed in the same game.
Newcastle went five years without a Premier League opponent sent off
Fans of most teams have similar claims of the whole world being against their side, or referees seeming to have an agenda against them.
But not many of those sides go over five years without a Premier League opponent being sent off against them, compared to 18 of their own in that time.
But that was precisely the case with Newcastle, until Tommy Smith of Huddersfield was red carded at St James’ Park last season.
Referees make mistakes, but that is what VAR was brought in to rectify.
That red card for Hayden was a mistake yesterday, but VAR would rather support their fellow ref, than have a backbone to overturn their error.
It is unlikely reversing the decision would have altered the outcome, such was the shambolic nature of the performance, but we now lose a player for some important upcoming games, and that is the true cost for Newcastle.
If VAR is only going to be effectively used to reverse factual events, like offside goal decisions, and handballs for goals – and even then it fails, as it did when it missed one in the build up to Fabian Schar’s goal against Watford – then just scrap it for everything subjective.
It would not matter, however, if referees showed consistency and get their decisions right in the first place.
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