Alan Shearer has his say on Newcastle’s controversial penalty against Wolves

Newcastle and Wolverhampton Wanderers played to a 2-2 draw at Molineux this evening.

Callum Wilson, the Newcastle striker, notched two goals in the match, with Wolves twice coming from behind to secure a draw.

Wilson opened the scoring after capitalizing on a mistake by Jose Sa, who failed to hold onto a cross. The ball deflected off a defender, allowing Wilson to control it with his head and execute an overhead kick.

Nick Pope was at fault for both of Wolves’ goals.

Wolves leveled the score 14 minutes later when Newcastle conceded from a set-piece for the first time this season. Nick Pope’s decision-making was questionable as he vacated and returned to his goal line, and the cross found Mario Lemina, who headed it into the net.

The match featured several controversial decisions by referee Anthony Taylor. One of the most disputed calls was Taylor awarding Newcastle a penalty after Fabian Schar was brought down in the box while Hwang Hee-Chan attempted to clear the ball. Despite a lengthy VAR review, the on-field decision stood. Replays suggested minimal contact on Schar, and Hwang had pulled out of the challenge. However, the extended review made it unclear if it was a clear and obvious error, leading to the penalty being given. Callum Wilson successfully converted the penalty, maintaining his perfect record from the spot, despite skepticism even from Alan Shearer, who used laughing emojis to express his disbelief.

Hwang redeemed himself for the penalty by scoring Wolves’ equalizer, taking advantage of another Nick Pope error. Pope failed to catch a cross and chose to punch the ball out of the area, allowing Hwang to dribble past Dan Burn and find the back of the net.

The match was a challenging one for Newcastle fans, as the team appeared fatigued. The extra fixtures and a long list of injuries have taken a toll, making it difficult for Eddie Howe to make meaningful changes.

One change that seemed obvious but was not made by Eddie Howe was substituting Kieran Trippier for Tino Livramento. Trippier’s performance had been outstanding against Crystal Palace, but he had struggled in the last two games.

It was as though the Newcastle team had a peculiar aversion to rain, reminiscent of the aliens in M. Night Shyamalan’s film, “Signs,” as they seemed to struggle significantly in wet conditions, particularly Trippier.