Referee Andy Madley may have made a massive error in Newcastle United’s rampant 5-1 home win against Aston Villa for not showing Emiliano Martinez a red card for his crazy challenge on Miguel Almiron in the dyine embers of the first half.
What’s the latest on Newcastle and VAR?
Eddie Howe’s Toon played host to Unai Emery’s rejuvenated Villains on Saturday as the sides got their Premier League campaigns underway with what looked like it would be an enthralling battle in the Northeast.
What transpired, however, was a somewhat one-sided affair in which the home side tore the visiting side asunder, scoring five goals whilst conceeding just one against a rather limp Villa attack.
It was a dream debut for Italian Sandro Tonali, who gave his new team the lead just six minutes in before going incredibly close to doubling that lead just a few minutes later were it not for a brilliant bit of keeping from Martinez.
Read the latest Newcastle United transfer news HERE…
It looked as if it was going to be a day for the debutants 11 minutes in as Moussa Diably levelled the score with his first shot on target for the Birmingham side; however, it took just four minutes for the hosts to regain control through a brilliant strike from Alexander Isak and from then it was one-way traffic.
That said, things could’ve been a lot worse for the visiting side when just before half-time, the Argentine number one came flying out of his penalty area to challenge Almiron, only he missed the ball entirely and took his man out instead.
Whilst the crowd demanded a red card, Madley and the VAR team felt a yellow card was the appropriate response.
Did Emi Martinez deserve a red card against Newcastle United?
Looking at the pictures from the game, it’s easy to see why fans of the Toon felt aggrieved by the decision not to send the Ma del Plata-born man off. It is pretty clear that he completely misses the ball and clatters into the attacking Almiron.
It was very reminiscent of what the Magpies’ own Nick Pope did against Mohamed Salah earlier this year, with his punishment being a straight red card that caused him to miss the club’s Carabao Cup final just a week later.
However, the explanation for this decision was that due to three Villa players getting back into position, Martinez did not stop a clear goal-scoring opportunity with his foul.
That said, journalist Dominic Scurr believed that the number one had got away with one, writing on Twitter: “Goalkeeper Emi Martinez lucky to still be on the pitch here. Takes out Miguel Almiron outside the box.”
It was clearly a sentiment shared by those within the stadium, with the fans chanting: “You’re not fit to referee.”
Luckily the game was so one-sided that the incident ultimately had little effect on the outcome. Still, you can imagine if Emery’s men had managed to salvage a draw – or even sneak a win – Martinez’s expedition from his area would’ve probably have got a lot more attention.
With that in mind, perhaps the rules around what keepers can and can’t get away with outside their area need some reexamination this season.