'No doubt in my mind': Former Premier League referee says Newcastle United were denied clear penalty against Chelsea
Newcastle United ended a 14-year wait for a win at Stamford Bridge as they beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.
Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game as Newcastle executed an excellent Eddie Howe game plan.
It was Newcastle's first win at Stamford Bridge since February 2012 and only their second at Chelsea's home in the Premier League.
The win keeps Newcastle's European hopes alive and will also be a massive confidence boost going into the Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Barcelona on Wednesday.
Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett was not happy with the refereeing in today's game
As hard as Newcastle fought for the win today, it could have been made a bit easier for the Magpies had the Big Six bias not been on full display by the officials who failed to punish Chelsea's Reece James for pulling Malick Thiaw to the ground during a corner.
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett told Football Insider that there was no doubt Newcastle should have been given a spot kick.
“This holding offence committed by Reece James should have resulted in a penalty kick.
“Ignoring his offence and not taking any action is not an option for the referee. There is no doubt in my mind that Reece James has escaped one here. He’s grabbed his opponent, and it should have resulted in a penalty kick.
“The reality is that this holding offence should be punished. This is not good for the PGMOL, and it’s not good for the game. Something needs to be done.”
How come everyone can see the "Big Six" bias except the people who can do something about it?
Newcastle fans were furious, and many took to social media to vent their frustration with several pointing out that had the offence been committed on a Big Six side and not by one, it would definitely have been given.
That decision, along with the eight minutes of stoppage time, definitely suggested that there was some bias at play today, but it mattered not in the end.
As far as poor refereeing decisions go, though, these were minor complaints compared to some of the stinkers we've had to put up with this season. Although we'd not be so calm about it had Chelsea nicked a late goal today.
