Furious Benitez demands VAR after loss

RAFAEL Benitez (pictured, AFP) called on Sunday for the immediate introduction of video assistant referees after his 10-man Newcastle side slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to Wolves following Matt Doherty’s stoppage-time winner.

Furious Benitez made the plea after DeAndre Yedlin was sent off for hauling back Diogo Jota after being caught in possession 56 minutes into the defeat, which left the Magpies three points from the relegation zone.

Benitez was also convinced that Willy Boly should have been given a red card and Newcastle a penalty after the Frenchman caught Ayoze Perez with a flying elbow.

“It was an elbow in the face. He was bleeding – it was so obvious. But I have seen the replay. You can see the replay and see the face of the player and after, what happened. Anyone can see that, so we need VAR [video assistant referees],” said Benitez.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, whose side are up to 10th after their second straight win, felt the sending nding off was justified and the elbow by Boly accidental.

“It’s an elbow. It’s a clear elbow on Ayoze,” he said. “But from my y point of view, not being overprotective, he [Boly] jumps for the ball and he doesn’t t see him, so it’s not intentional.”

VAR is set to be introduced to o the Premier League from next season after fter clubs “agreed in principle” to the move last month, following an update on the nonlive VAR trials already taking place. lace.

The system is already being g used in leagues around Europe, including ing Italy’s Serie A and French Ligue 1, and was used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. a.

Newcastle thought they had d claimed a ha rd-e a r ned poi nt on Su nday despite Yedlin’s sending of f.

Martin Dubravka was left helpless when Helder Costa’s cross sailed over Jamaal Lascelles and Jota control controlled on his chest before firing h o m e from pointb l a n k range.

B u t a f t e r

Salomon

Rondon’s free-kick had hi t the underside of the crossbar and the r e b o u n d w a s c l e a r e d , h e crossed for Perez to plant a fine header past Rui

Patricio. Benitez was forced to reshuffle his team after Yedlin was dismissed. Sensing an opportunity, Nuno responded immediately, sending on Morgan Gibbs-White Gibbs White and a Raul Jimenez for Romain Saiss an and Adama Traore but the visitors largely large struggled to make their numerical numeri advantage count. The frame of o the goal came to Newcastle’s Newcastle rescue with 14 minutes remaining re when Gibbs-White Gibbs-W and Costa set up Jimenez J to race away on o the left, only to see his shot come back off the th underside of the crossbar cr but with seconds secon remaining, Doherty Doher struck the rebound from Jota’s shot into an empty e net.