Alan Shearer has now given his verdict on whether or not Nottingham Forest should have been given against Newcastle United on Saturday.
When Taiwo Awoniyi went down on Saturday, claiming that Martin Dubravka had fouled him, Forest supporters felt as though they had been cheated. However, neither the referee nor the VAR awarded a penalty kick.
Shearer stated on Match of the Day that he would have asked for a penalty for Newcastle if the situation had been reversed and that it should have been a penalty.
Shearer says Forest were ‘robbed’ against Newcastle
After their poor run of play in 2023, Newcastle will feel fairly fortunate to win all three points, but it was a hard-fought victory that they finally needed.
The game appeared to change for Forest supporters in the 62nd minute as Awoniyi sprinted into the box past Sven Botman and appeared to be about to fall as Dubravka made the tiniest contact with his leg, but some would argue that was sufficient.
Although it appeared as though the striker was losing possession of the ball, if the penalty had been more stonewall, that would undoubtedly be a different matter of discussion.
Ultimately, VAR didn’t deem it clear and obvious to overturn, but Shearer believes Forest will have been robbed, especially as that could have put them 3-2 up and instead they’ve gone on to lose the game.
On the show, Shearer said: “I think Newcastle got lucky there. If it was the other way round I’d be screaming for a penalty. I understand why the Nottingham Forest fans feel robbed.”
Newcastle finally getting a bit of luck
Newcastle have suffered so many disappointments this season in terms of last-minute cup exits, unexpected injuries and unforeseen suspensions to first-team players.
Eddie Howe has occasionally struggled to rotate at all since he has had to be imaginative in the lineups he puts out because players like Joelinton, Joe Willock, and Elliott Anderson are still recovering from injuries.
The 46-year-old will now believe that, at last, his squad will experience some luckiness for once after VAR overturned the penalty call and Bruno Guimaraes scored a spectacular winner for Newcastle.
Newcastle must now take that victory as a major lift and give their all to defeat Bournemouth again the following week in order to put themselves in a strong position to qualify for Europe.
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