Alan Shearer admits officials got it wrong with controversial decision in THFC v NUFC game - but not the one Ange Postecoglou thinks was wrong

Some controversial refereeing decisions dominated the headlines on Saturday after Newcastle United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in North London.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was livid after the game, insisting that it wasn't a fair match intimating that the referees perhaps had some sort of Newcastle bias.

Most notably, the Aussie was fuming with the decision to let Anthony Gordon's goal stand after the ball struck Joelinton's hand in the build-up.

However, the rules are very clear (whether they're right or not is up for debate), but by the letter of the law, the goal was perfectly good to stand. If anything, the rules are wrong, not the referee's execution of it, if you want to throw Ange a bone here.

Alan Shearer say Ange Postecoglou was 'wrong' to complain about the Joelinton handball

Alan Shearer believes the goal should have stood, as did his The Rest Is Football co-hosts Gary Lineker and Micah Richards. However, Shearer did insist that the refs got it wrong with regards to the Anthony Gordon penalty claim, and we're very much inclined to agree.

"Ange Postecoglou had a moan, I think it was about the referee, he had a rant after the game where he said the answer five or six times. I presume it was about the referee.

"What he failed to mention was, is that Newcastle should have had an absolute certain penalty when Anthony Gordon had his nose broken with that challenge.

"I hate the handball law, but under the current handball law, that is not handball.

"So, if that's the one that Ange is on about, he's wrong."

Shearer was adamant it was a penalty for the challenge on Anthony Gordon

Shearer later doubled down when Gary Lineker brought it up again and said it should have 'perhaps' been a penalty, and Shearer made his feelings very clear.

"Perhaps? Certain! What other clue do you want than he's broken his nose?"

As we have said a few times now, we can see that it was accidental, we get that, but most fouls are accidental. However, we could have let it go were Sven Botman not booked and a free-kick awarded to Spurs later in the game for the exact same thing, albeit with much less blood involved.