Ex-referee Mark Clattenburg admits that huge VAR call ultimately benefitted Newcastle United in Carabao Cup final

Newcastle United ended their 56-year wait for silverware on March 16th as they dominated Liverpool at Wembley, resulting in a massive 2-1 win - a scoreline which ultimately flattered the Reds.

Goals from Big Dan Burn and Alexander Isak put Newcastle into a two-goal lead which never really looked under threat until very late in the game when Liverpool suddenly sprung to life.

The Magpies had already had a goal chalked off for a contentious offside decision, but Isak wasn't to be deterred, putting the ball in the net just two minutes later.

Things worked the other way around for Liverpool, though, who had the ball in the net four minutes into second-half stoppage time, only for the flag to be immediately raised. After a lengthy VAR check (we're not sure why it took so long as Federico Chiesa was blatantly onside) the goal was awarded.

Newcastle fan and former ref Mark Clattenburg doesn't like VAR but admits it helped Newcastle last week

As unnecessarily long as that VAR check was, and the fact that it added a few extra minutes onto an already-excruciatingly long passage of stoppage time, former referee and Newcastle fan Mark Clattenburg told The Overlap that it ultimately benefitted Newcastle.

“I’ll always say it [VAR] is killing the emotion of the game.

“That Liverpool player [Chiesa] should be allowed to celebrate his goal, even though he doesn’t really want to celebrate because he wants to get the ball back to the halfway line.

“That critical moment suited Newcastle, in a way. Liverpool were just inserting a bit of pressure, and the pressure has just been released by that VAR decision. It allowed Newcastle to regroup. It was probably benefitting Newcastle, not Liverpool.”

Just ranting about Isak's disallowed goal again

It seems to us then that everything evened out in the end as we still don't believe Alexander Isak's first goal should have been disallowed given that the Liverpool keeper was able to make the initial save. The argument that he might have caught the ball rather than parried it out is moot, especially when you consider how many times 'keepers these days opt to push the ball away rather than collect it.

That's something that Caoimhin Kelleher actually did a couple of times in that very game even when unobstructed.

What's done is done, though, and it all worked out. Whether or not that VAR decision for Chiesa's goal took the wind out of Liverpool's sails, only they will know, but we're not complaining.