Fabian Schar and Newcastle were the subjects of some considerable misfortune with one refereeing call (or rather, a lack of one) during the pulsating 3-3 draw with Manchester City.
John Stones floored the No.5 with an aerial challenge in the Sky Blues’ penalty box, failing to contact the ball following a threatening overhead pass from Miguel Almirion.
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It’s possible VAR merely viewed the event as a minor footballing incident, though it’s difficult to see how a challenge in the box that fails to win the ball is a fair or legal one.
You can catch the clip below, courtesy of @BringInPeterWal:
The on-field referee has a great view of the incident and deems it not a foul by the honest, hard-working, English John Stones, and therefore it cannot be a foul #askPeterWalton #NEWMCI pic.twitter.com/YOmv82PEDP
— Let's bring in Peter Walton (@BringInPeterWal) August 21, 2022
If that happened in the “outfield” area, it would have been a free kick, may even be construed as dangerous play. The ref is too scared to make the correct call bcos it’s in the box – punishable by a penalty. Too many inconsistencies with VAR & refs, sadly.