Brighton and Newcastle United fans will not be happy with ‘bizarre’ Premier League decision
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Newcastle United news: Eddie Howe’s side face Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Newcastle United return to Premier League action on Saturday when they make the trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton and Hove Albion. The Magpies won back-to-back games before the international break and will be keen to continue that momentum on the south coast this weekend.
However, the Seagulls have proven to be somewhat of a bogey team for them of late, with Fabian Hurzeler’s side emerging victorious in two of their three meetings in league and cup last season. The Magpies have also failed to win any of their last eight games away against Brighton, coming away from the Amex Stadium with just five points in that time.
Eddie Howe’s side head into Saturday’s game sat 11th in the table and just one place above their hosts with the two clubs separated by only goal difference heading into the eighth game of the campaign.
Premier League announce referee appointments for Matchweek 8
Ahead of the weekend’s matches, the Premier League have revealed that Craig Pawson will referee the game at the Amex Stadium. Pawson has refereed Newcastle United once this term, taking charge of their goalless draw against Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.
The 46-year-old showed Villa defender Ezri Konsa a red card on that day after he brought down Anthony Gordon, denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity in the process. There were few complaints from Villa fans on that day following Konsa’s dismissal.
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However, ahead of this weekend, there could be one or two Brighton fans raising an eyebrow at Pawson’s appointment as referee. The last time Pawson was in charge of a Seagulls game came in May - when he was the man in the middle for, bizarrely, Newcastle United’s visit to the Amex Stadium.
That match finished all-square with a late Alexander Isak penalty rescuing a point for Howe’s side. During a chaotic 90 minutes on the south coast, Pawson awarded Newcastle United a penalty on three separate occasions, only for two of them to be chalked off by VAR.
The first penalty was downgraded to a free-kick as replays showed initial contact between Tariq Lamptey and Anthony Gordon was outside the penalty box. The second penalty was chalked off after a VAR review deemed there to be insufficient contact between Jan Paul van Hecke and Joe Willock.
Whilst the hosts on that day watched as three spot-kick decisions went against their side, they could also count themselves fortunate to have ended the match with eleven players on the pitch. Mats Wieffer was already on a yellow card when he fouled Sandro Tonali, but Pawson opted to keep his cards in his pocket - a decision which angered many Newcastle United supporters. To compound their misery, Wieffer was then substituted moments later by his manager.
This weekend, Pawson will be assisted by Lee Betts and Mat Wilkes at the Amex Stadium, with Ben Toner on fourth official duty. The south Yorkshire whistler will have Paul Tierney and Simon Long supporting him on VAR duty at Stockley Park.