Roy Keane and Ian Wright fume after Newcastle were controversially denied a penalty following Virgil van Dijk’s shoulder charge to the face of Anthony Gordon
- Virgil van Dijk hit Anthony Gordon in the face with his shoulder
- Ian Wright and Roy Keane both thought Newcastle should have been awarded a penalty
Ian Wright and Roy Keane both agreed that Newcastle were denied a clear penalty in the first half of their Premier League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Newcastle had taken the lead just after the half hour mark through a fierce strike from Alexander Isak and had a glorious chance to double the lead when Anthony Gordon raced through on goal after a Joe Gomez error.
Gordon’s effort was stopped by Caoimhin Kelleher, but as the goalkeeper tried to pounce on the loose ball, Gordon was knocked to the ground after being caught in the face by Virgil van Dijk’s shoulder.
The replays did not make for particularly pleasant viewing for the Liverpool captain, and Keane and Wright were in no doubt that he got away with it.
Speaking on the Stick to Football watchalong, brought to you by Sky Bet, Wright said: ‘He knows exactly what he’s doing. That’s a pen.’
Keane agreed with Wright, adding: “That’s a penalty.”
Anthony Gordon was knocked to the ground after being shouldered in the face by Virgil van Dijk, but was not awarded a penalty
Ian Wright felt Van Dijk knew what he was doing but the Liverpool captain was not punished for the challenge
Roy Keane and Ian Wright both thought Newcastle should have been awarded a penalty
Gordon lay in a heap on the ground before gingerly getting back up and continuing.
The match was briefly stopped while he was down and VAR reviewed the incident but decided not to intervene to encourage the referee to check the pitch monitor again.
Play restarted with a drop ball to Liverpool and they managed to see out the rest of the half to remain only a goal behind at half time.
More to follow…