Eddie Howe has now spoken out about Alexander Isak’s disallowed goal yesterday, which cost Newcastle United a point against Luton Town.
Isak thought he had equalized with a brilliant second-half finish, but the linesman raised his flag and the decision was confirmed by VAR after a lengthy check.
Howe claimed in an interview with NUFCTV that his first reaction after checking the monitor was that the goal should have stood, but he also had few complaints about the use of VAR.
It was a close call and difficult to tell from the angle provided by the VAR camera, but the goal was ultimately disallowed because Isak’s shoulder was deemed to be ahead of the Luton defender’s knee.
With Newcastle’s injury woes and elimination from two competitions at the last minute, Howe could have used a bit of luck yesterday afternoon.
Instead, Isak’s goal was ruled offside, Newcastle went on to lose the game as their dismal away record continued, and Howe was left wondering what went wrong for the fifth time in six games.
Following the game, Howe expressed his honest thoughts on the goal, but, unlike others, remained calm and collected throughout his analysis.
“It’s funny because I quickly went to the monitor and had a look and my gut instinct thought it was onside,” Howe said in his interview.
“But that’s what VAR is for and they’ve come up with a different decision.”
Yes, some may believe the goal should have stood, but that should not overshadow Newcastle’s performance yesterday when playing away from home.
This brings their Premier League record away from St James’ Park to just one win in nine games, trailing only Burnley, Wolves, and Crystal Palace.
Newcastle must become more resilient to playing away from home if they are to have any chance of qualifying for Europe, let alone the Champions League, next season.
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