Howard Webb reacts as controversial Joelinton footage v Tottenham emerges again
Howard Webb believes VAR were correct to allow Newcastle United’s first goal against Tottenham after the ball hit Joelinton’s arm.
Spurs supporters were up in arms, and so too was Ange Postecoglou, as Anthony Gordon benefitted from the Brazilian’s interception during the Magpies’ 2-1 win at Hotspur Way on Saturday (4 January).
While the ball clearly deflected off the player’s arm in the build-up to the goal, the Premier League released a statement via PLMatchCentre on X (4 January) that deemed the incident accidental, with the arm in a natural position.
Speaking on the latest edition of Match Officials Mic’d Up (Premier League official website, 11 December), PGMOL chief Webb said: “There’s no doubt, the ball does strike Joelinton’s hand. And then the goal is scored fairly quickly afterwards. But Joelinton doesn’t score the goal. The ball goes to Guimaraes I believe and then it goes to Gordon, who scores.
“Of course, we can only penalise handball in certain circumstances. Not every contact with the hand or arm on the ball is something we would penalise.
“We see this situation and the VAR describes it really well. Joelinton’s arm [is] in a really normal position as he’s moving and then when the ball does strike him from quite close range, it’s down by his side. The ball hits the arm and then ricochets off.
“He doesn’t move the arm in the direction of the ball. The arm is moving naturally. He doesn’t, importantly, make himself unnaturally bigger. His arm is close to his body so that’s not a handball offence. He wouldn’t be penalised with a penalty [against him] if he did that in his own penalty area.
“The only time he’d ever be penalised for that is if he scored immediately from that contact or if it [the ball] went directly in off that particular arm but that’s not what happens here. So we agree it’s not a handball offence.
“Tottenham might feel unlucky [because of] the way the ricochet played out and the goal was scored. But the laws of the game stipulate quite clearly that position isn’t something that you would penalise.”
Tottenham controversial incident v Newcastle United stands
Webb has been pretty clear about what the Premier League rules state, which suggests that VAR followed the letter of the law, but whether fans agree with that rule is another matter.
Joelinton, undoubtedly, benefitted from the situation before passing the ball off to Bruno Guimaraes, who slid Gordon in to score Newcastle’s equaliser, cancelling out Dominic Solanke’s equaliser.
There is no telling what may have happened should Eddie Howe’s side have been on the other side of that VAR call but with Alexander Isak scoring 32 minutes later, the three points went to the opposition.
It was a huge blow for Postecoglou and his team, who are now winless in their last four matches, which has seen them sink to 12th in the Premier League table, but all they can do now is look forward.
Pressure is starting to mount on the Australian, and rightly so, but some feel sympathy for him with the number of star injuries currently plaguing the manager at Hotspur Way.
In other Tottenham news, the Lilywhites have been handed a major boost as “fantastic” news emerges.
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