Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has shared whether he believes Newcastle should have had a penalty against Wolves.
Gary O’Neil’s side were incredibly unfortunate to not get the win against Newcastle, as Wolves took the lead in the first half.
It was a fixture that opened the door for the Old Gold to secure their first Premier League win of the season however, it was not meant to be once again for the hosts.
Mario Lemina’s well-worked goal was cancelled out in the space of five minutes, as Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes fired Newcastle into the lead.
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Dermot Gallagher shares Newcastle penalty verdict against Wolves
Things could have been worse for Wolves, who were the subject of a VAR check early in the second half, as Craig Dawson was believed to have handled the ball in the box.
Referee Chris Kavanagh decided not to award a penalty on field, with his decision supported by VAR as Dawson was not deemed to have intentionally touched the ball.
Assessing the refereeing dilemmas across the Premier League on match day four, former referee Dermot Gallagher shared his verdict on the incident, via Sky Sports’ Ref Watch.
“If you watch, it comes off his own body, bounces up, hits his [ Dawson’s] arm.
“The arm is where you would expect it to be when making that challenge. That’s a far better interpretation of the rules; we’re in a far better position this year.”
It would have been a shock to have seen a penalty awarded in that instance, as Dawson’s arm could not have been in a more natural position as the ball ricocheted off his own body.
Craig Dawson was crucial again for Wolves
After making his first Premier League start of the season against Nottingham Forest, it became clear that Dawson’s spot in O’Neil’s XI is not debatable.
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The 34-year-old’s expertise and experience is something that very few players in the league have, with the Englishman’s skill set required as Wolves undergo a formational change at the back.
Just as he was against Forest, Dawson was one of the driving forces at the back for his side, being extremely unfortunate to have had a touch on the ball to see Schar’s effort steer away from Sam Johnstone.