Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe said his side were denied a "stonewall" penalty in their 2-2 draw with Chelsea - so, does he have a point? Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah barged Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon to the ground inside the penalty area in the 53rd minute at St James' Park. Howe and the home fans demanded a penalty but, following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, the on-field decision not to award a penalty was upheld. Howe, whose side have dropped a league-high 13 points from winning positions, said: "I thought it was stonewall penalty and the defender went into it with too much aggression. I think the wording from the match centre was it was shielding the ball out of play - but Chalobah definitely wasn't shielding anything and so, for me, Chelsea were lucky there."

Source: BBC December 20, 2025 17:56 UTC