Abdulhafiz TeslimNewcastle United have secured a huge 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, but one decision from the match is already dominating the conversation among supporters.
The Magpies looked to have taken another major step towards putting the game beyond their opponents shortly after taking the lead, only for the officials to intervene and change the outcome.
William Osula had given Newcastle the breakthrough just after half-time, finishing Jacob Murphy’s excellent cross to put Matthias Jaissle’s side ahead.
Then came the moment that Newcastle fans will be talking about.
Joe Willock appeared to have doubled the advantage with a composed finish into the bottom corner.
The midfielder celebrated.
Newcastle celebrated.
But the goal did not stand.
VAR reviewed the incident and the goal was overturned for offside. The decision was recorded as a VAR “No Goal”, with Willock judged to have been offside.
The call was extremely tight.
Live coverage described Willock as being fractionally offside, meaning Newcastle were denied a second goal by the smallest of margins.
That immediately sparked frustration.
For supporters, the biggest issue was not simply that the goal had been disallowed, but how marginal the decision appeared to be.
The officials ultimately stood by the offside call, leaving Newcastle with a 1-0 lead rather than the two-goal advantage they thought they had earned.
But there was an important response from Jaissle’s team.
Instead of allowing the decision to affect them, Newcastle continued to attack.
Just minutes later, the Magpies restored their two-goal advantage.
Nico González kept the move alive before Jacob Murphy released Amar Dedić down the right. Dedić then delivered a dangerous ball across the box, allowing Harvey Barnes to finish and make it 2-0.
This time, there was no VAR drama.
The goal stood.
Newcastle went on to complete an important away victory and, perhaps most importantly for Jaissle, kept a clean sheet.
But the Willock decision remains the major talking point.
The official match records confirm that the goal was overturned following a VAR review for offside.
And after the controversy surrounding Newcastle in recent weeks, supporters are once again questioning whether the club is getting the benefit of marginal decisions.
For now, the decision stands.
Newcastle have the three points.
Willock, however, has been left without the goal he thought he had scored.
And that is why the VAR call at Selhurst Park is already becoming one of the biggest talking points from Newcastle’s latest Premier League victory.
Abdulhafiz Teslim
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