Explained: Why Anthony Gordon's equaliser for Newcastle United against Tottenham in Premier League was allowed to stand

Updated 04/01/2025 at 13:31 GMT

Newcastle United's equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur was met with disagreement as Spurs claimed a handball in the build-up. Anthony Gordon's goal was confirmed by VAR, despite the ball hitting the hand of Newcastle's Joelinton. Here is why Newcastle's equaliser against Spurs was allowed to stand. The two teams face off in the Premier League, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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The handball rules once again became a topic of discussion after Newcastle's sixth-minute equaliser against Spurs, which involved a suspected handball from Joelinton in the build-up.

Anthony Gordon netted for Newcastle, but Ange Postecoglou and the Spurs supporters wanted the goal disallowed for handball by Newcastle midfielder Joelinton.

The ball hit the Brazilian's hand after an attempted flick by Lucas Bergvall, and a brief check from the video assistant referee (VAR) confirmed that the goal will stand.

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TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher explained the reason for the goal, saying: "The explanation from Chris Kavanagh is that the hand is by his side in a natural position, and therefore they’ve allowed it to go."

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) specifically states that it is an offence if a player:

Deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball;

Touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised.

The Premier League Match Centre account on X confirmed the reason for the goal, saying that Joelinton's arm "was by his side, in a natural position and the contact was accidental."

TNT Sports' Ally McCoist added that he was "absolutely thrilled" about the decision after he expected the goal to be disallowed.

"I’m absolutely thrilled about [it], as I thought they would have disallowed it with the handball, but clearly I think it was absolutely spot on. There was nothing he could have done about it, the game should continue, it did continue and Newcastle got a deserved equaliser. Great finish Anthony Gordon.

"In the grand scheme of things, I think the goal should stand, and I’m glad it did."

How to watch Tottenham v Newcastle

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Tottenham v Newcastle will be live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage from 11:00 UK time on Saturday, January 4, ahead of kick-off at 12:30.

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