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MORE HANDBALL CONTROVERSY AS NEWCASTLE EARN LATE POINT AT TOTTENHAM

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Another controversial handball decision gave Newcastle United a stoppage-time equaliser by Callum Wilson from the penalty spot and a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday (Sept 27).

Spurs had led through a 25th-minute Lucas Moura goal and Newcastle had not managed a shot on target but deep into stoppage time, Newcastle’s Andy Carroll and Eric Dier challenged for a ball and the forward’s header brushed the arm of the Spurs defender.

A video assistant referee review led referee Peter Bankes to look at the incident, in which Dier had his back to the ball as he jumped with Carroll, and pointed to the spot.

Wilson’s spot-kick squeezed past Hugo Lloris and earned Steve Bruce’s side a point that had looked unlikely for most of the match.

The incident followed similar match-deciding handball decisions in Manchester United’s win at Brighton and Eveton’s victory at Crystal Palace  on Saturday.

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Jose Mourinho’s side started brightly and Newcastle keeper Karl Darlow had to produce a superb double save to keep out a Giovani Lo Celso free kick and Harry Kane’s follow-up.

Darlow also did well to save a Kane header but Spurs broke through in the 25th minute – Son Heung-min fed Kane on the left and his low ball across the face of goal was turned in by Moura at the far post.

Son fired a left-foot shot against the post before striking the woodwork again with a drive against the bar three minutes before the interval.

Mourinho took Son off at the break, perhaps taking into account the team’s busy schedule with midweek League Cup and Europa League matches on the horizon, but without the South Korean, there was a more pedestrian look to Tottenham.

Still, Mourinho’s side appeared to have done enough until the latest handball drama which caused the Portuguese manager to storm down the tunnel.

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-Reuters

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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