New VAR audio reveals why Newcastle goal vs Arsenal was allowed

VAR audio of the Newcastle United goal against Arsenal at St. James’ Park that led to three separate reviews has been released.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has released VAR audio on Newcastle’s goal against Arsenal.

On November 4, Newcastle claimed a 1-0 win over Arsenal in a hotly disputed match. Anthony Gordon’s 64th-minute strike settled the game, but not without controversy. The winger’s goal led to VAR reviews on the following three incidents:

Determine if the whole ball had crossed the line before Joe Willock crossed into the box
Investigate whether Joelinton had fouled Gabriel Magalhaes
Assess if Gordon was in an offside position when the ball dropped to him

Yet, the VAR team decided to award the goal, having decided there was insufficient evidence to rule it out.

The PGMOL has now released audio of the conversation between the referee, Stuart Attwell, and the VAR team during the review process. The audio below sheds light on the complexity of the situation and the limitations of the technology in certain scenarios.