Ex-Premier League referee Keith Hackett believes a Newcastle United player should have received a red card for an incident involving Viktor Gyokeres during Arsenal’s nail-biting 2-1 victory at St James’ Park.
The Swedish striker has not scored in his past four appearances in all competitions, but he was central to two critical moments for the Gunners on Sunday. The first occurred just 14 minutes into the game, when Nick Pope fouled him, resulting in a penalty.
However, after checking the VAR monitor, Jarred Gillett reversed his decision and determined that Pope had made contact with the ball. This enraged Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, and their attitude was exacerbated when Nick Woltemade scored the opening goal, perhaps ending their Premier League title hopes.
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The Gunners fought in the second half, drawing level late on through Mikel Merino, before Gabriel Magalhaes scored the winner in extra time. Despite winning all three points, things could have gone even better if Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles had been sent out for an incident with Gyokeres.
Lascelles, who came on in the 77th minute to replace the injured Tino Livramento, made an immediate impact by seizing Viktor Gyokeres’ face and dragged him to the ground, reported Football London.
This incident slipped beneath the notice of referee Gillett and VAR official Darren England, causing a frenzy of dispute among fans and analysts. Hackett is the latest to weigh in, outlining what he believes should have happened.
He told Football Insider: “We can see Lascelles from Newcastle United grasp Gyokeres’ face and tug it to one side. While I understand that not everything is captured by the referee, I believe VAR should have picked this up.
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