Leeds United’s seven-game unbeaten run was brought to a painful halt on Wednesday night as they were edged out 4–3 by Newcastle United in a dramatic encounter at St James’ Park.
Touted as a strong candidate for game of the season, the match lived up to the billing with a frenetic seven-goal thriller, culminating in the hosts snatching victory with a decisive strike deep into stoppage time.
Leeds appeared on course for a famous away win until Bruno Guimaraes converted a penalty in the 90th minute to draw Newcastle level. The momentum swing proved costly, with Harvey Barnes delivering the final blow 10 minutes later to secure a crushing late winner.
However, Stephen Warnock and Danny Murphy are unsure whether the referee should have given Newcastle the penalty, which led to Guimaraes’ equaliser in the 90th minute.
BBC pundits slam referee for a key decision in Newcastle vs Leeds
Warnock insisted that it was not a penalty as he didn’t think Leeds star Brenden Aaronson could have jumped to stop the cross in any other way.
He stressed that the arms could not have been judged to be an unnatural position, as there is no other way the United States international could have jumped.
Asked if Newcastle deserved the penalty, Warnock said on Match of the Day, “No, I don’t think so.
“I just don’t know where he’s meant to put his arms. How do you jump? You have to jump with your arms; you have to use them as leverage. He just can’t do it any other way.
Asked if the arm didn’t come out a bit, Warnock said, “It does, and I know they say it’s an unnatural position. It is if you jump like a star, but you don’t, you naturally jump with your arms to push and move them.”
Murphy added, “You’d be fuming if you had that against you, so would the Newcastle players, it’s soft.”
Leeds were brilliant away from home
Daniel Farke has reasons to feel aggrieved and has conceded that Lucas Perri should have saved the winning goal from Barnes at the end.
However, the Leeds manager has so many reasons to feel positive about the performance. Leeds were seconds away from getting another point on the road.
| Newcastle United | Statistic | Leeds United |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Shots | 11 |
| 7 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 62% | Possession | 38% |
| 509 | Passes | 229 |
| 86% | Pass accuracy | 70% |
| 9 | Fouls | 9 |
The winning run has come to an end. However, there is no reason why Leeds cannot go on another such string of results as they continue to stand up against established Premier League sides.
West Ham’s poor form has ensured that Leeds do not have to look over their shoulders too much in the relegation fight and look forward to a mid-table finish in the Premier League this season.
So if that not a penalty so the Leeds one than cause the pundits seem to have an agender cause how many penalties have been given for the same thing and nothing been said