Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
Sport
Oscar Haley

'Varane cuts right across him' - Given and Woodgate agree on Newcastle United penalty claim

Former Newcastle United duo Jonathan Woodgate and Shay Given were left perplexed by Craig Pawson's decision not to award the Magpies a penalty against Manchester United.

Newcastle forward Callum Wilson thought he had won a penalty for the Magpies in the first-half after he made a driving run into the area before being cut-off by Man United's Raphael Varane.

Pawson did not believe it was a penalty. VAR officials at Stockley Park did take a look but deemed Varane's challenge was fair.

READ MORE: Eddie Howe offers view on Callum Wilson penalty call as Man Utd boss Erik Ten Hag snubs question

However, it was certainly a contentious decision. Had Pawson taken a look at the pitch side monitor, he might have seen things differently. And former Newcastle teammates Woodgate and Given were among those who could not believe a penalty was not awarded after Varane's rash challenge.

Woodgate initially agreed with Pawson's decision by telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "I’d be surprised if that was a penalty. It was a brilliant recovery from Martinez because he [Wilson] just seemed to get away from Varane. It’s the recovery again from Martinez. He’s started strong and aggressive."

But upon being shown a replay of Varane's challenge, Woodgate seemed to change his mind saying: " If you were the referee and you had another look?"

Given however needed no convincing of how the incident should have played out.

"I cannot understand how that isn’t a penalty for Newcastle," said the former Newcastle keeper. "Varane cuts right across him."

READ NEXT

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.