VAR helped Newcastle escape with a point in the reverse fixture vs. Spurs

In their third Premier League match of the 2020-21 season, Newcastle United went on the road to face Spurs. Despite a defensive approach from Steve Bruce, the Magpies took an away point after VAR assisted them in a 1-1 draw.

Jose Mourinho’s side was dealing with tired legs after a congested schedule of EPL and Europa League matches. Fans expected Bruce to deploy his squad with an attacking mindset to take the match at Tottenham.

Instead, Newcastle defended deep and allowed Spurs to fire 23 shots (12 on target). Karl Darlow came up with 11 saves, but he was beat by Lucas Moura in the middle of the first half.

With an away defeat seeming likely and a fair result, things took a turn in stoppage time. Substitute Andy Carroll’s header deflected off of Eric Dier’s arm in the penalty area. While the contact did not seem intentional, the play was reviewed by VAR.

With a late assist from VAR, Newcastle United stole a point on the road vs. Spurs in September.

It was determined that Dier was guilty of a handball in the box and that resulted in Callum Wilson getting a chance to level things from the spot.

Newcastle’s star striker converted and the match finished level with Newcastle lucky for the point and Spurs frustrated about the ending.

Universally, VAR is highly criticized and the Toon Army would have been livid if the roles were reversed. But, with the decision going in the their favor, supporters were thankful for the point in a match that they didn’t really deserve one in.

The star of the match was Darlow, who earned praise from The Special One for his performance. Like Martin Dubravka has done over the years, Darlow kept the match close with massive saves and allowed Newcastle to be within striking distance in those final moments.