Newcastle vs Liverpool: Jaissle blasts late penalty call at St James’ Park

Matthias Jaissle said the stoppage-time penalty that denied Newcastle victory over Liverpool was “really soft”. At 96 minutes, Newcastle were leading 2-1 before Lewis Hall was adjudged to have brought down substitute Victor Muñoz in the area, and VAR confirmed the on-field decision.

Jaissle’s complaint

Asked about the incident, Jaissle said: “I think you call it here a really soft one.” He added: “If you give that then there will be so many penalties in the future.”

He did not stop there. “I am not a fan of that, I have to say. I disagree but more I cannot say,” he said, as the late call became the main talking point from Newcastle vs Liverpool.

The Premier League Match Centre said Hall did not play the ball and made clear contact, which is why the VAR check upheld the penalty. Joe Willock had already changed the mood with an instant impact off the bench, while Anthony Elanga and Liverpool’s equaliser had kept the game open before the stoppage-time flashpoint.

The split over the decision

The reaction did not split neatly down club lines, but it did split fast. Gary Neville said Hall “will know deep inside that he knows it's a penalty”, while Micah Richards put it even more directly: “A penalty’s a penalty. Lewis Hall is very unlucky, but when the ball goes in there, he does catch him [Munoz].”

That leaves Jaissle’s view standing on one side of the argument and the Premier League Match Centre, plus the pundits, on the other. The contact was enough for the officials to keep the on-field call, but Newcastle’s complaint is understandable after they were seconds from taking the win.

Dominik Szoboszlai then handled the pressure from the spot. He had said before the game that he had been practicing penalties in pre-season, and he converted the stoppage-time effort that rescued Liverpool.

The late intervention may define the night, but the final detail is concrete: Newcastle were leading 2-1 in the 96th minute before the penalty was given, and the decision stood after VAR review.