Mark Clattenburg says whether Liverpool’s late penalty vs Newcastle should have been overturned by VAR

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RTK Exclusive.Newcastle United had little cause for complaint at the awarding of a last-gasp penalty for Liverpool during Sunday’s pulsating opening weekend draw.That is the view of former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who felt suggestions that Lewis Hall’s foul on Victor Munoz was ‘soft’ were irrelevant.Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle voiced his opposition to the decision live on Sky Sports after the game, but speaking exclusively to RTK, Clattenburg says the call to hand Liverpool the chance to equalise deep into stoppage time was the right one. Who should be Liverpool’s designated penalty-taker this season?

Plenty of fans seem to think Alexander Isak should have stepped up against Newcastle… Photo Credit: Getty Images/Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA Nothing wrong with Liverpool penalty – ClattenburgIt has become commonplace for fans of every football club to believe they have been hard done by when any single decision goes against them, especially with VAR now able to fully review each and every important call.Newcastle fans were hoping the video assistant might intervene to overturn Stuart Attwell’s decision to give a penalty to Liverpool, with many determining that Munoz had initiated the contact himself when watching the footage back.Clattenburg disagrees, however, insisting that Hall stepping across the Liverpool attacker – and making a crucial movement towards the ball – meant that a foul and a penalty was the only decision that could be reached.READ MORE: Should Alexander Isak have taken Liverpool’s penalty v Newcastle? How his record compares to Dominik SzoboszlaiPhoto by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images“Some said it was soft, this does not say that the referee Stuart Attwell was wrong to award Liverpool a late penalty against Newcastle,” the former match official told RTK.“Liverpool substitute Victor Munoz pushed the ball past Lewis Hall inside the penalty area.

Hall moves his leg out to challenge for the ball and his knee makes contact with Munoz’s knee and creates the foul.“Anywhere else on the field, this would have been called a foul so Newcastle can have little complaints with the award.”While some of his fellow Newcastle supporters may still be angry about Attwell’s decision, Clattenburg’s explanation should help them to understand why this was always going to be a penalty. Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox