Gary Lineker adds to confusion over Newcastle FA Cup goal as fans fume at decision

Joe Willock's equaliser for Newcastle successful their FA Cup 4th circular clash with Birmingham City sparked immense choler amid doubts the shot had really crossed the line

Assistant referee Nigel Lugg has travel nether occurrence aft his arguable determination to grant Newcastle an equaliser against Birmingham City.

The Magpies travelled to St Andrew's successful the 4th circular of the FA Cup connected Saturday evening. The League One broadside remarkably took the pb aft conscionable 40 seconds erstwhile Ethan Laird stabbed the shot location astatine a corner.

A thrilling FA Cup necktie played retired arsenic the Premier League broadside pushed for an equaliser. They did yet get successful aft 20 minutes but it was successful highly controverisal fashion.

Callum Wilson pulled the shot backmost for Joe Willock, who stabbed it towards goal. Blues keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell was caught down his enactment having closed down Wilson.

But helium appeared to person recovered and caught the shot earlier each of it had crossed the line. Assistant referee Lugg immediatedly began waving his emblem to awesome for a goal.

While Lugg was assured the shot had crossed the line, replays threw the determination into doubt, sparking wide confusion. That saw Lugg travel nether fire, with erstwhile Everton prima Leon Osman insisting everyone had been near confused.

"The adjunct referee flagged truly aboriginal arsenic if helium has fixed the goal. You enactment the emblem crossed the thorax to accidental a extremity but helium was inactive waving it similar helium had fixed an offside oregon throw," helium told Radio 5 Live.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Joe Willock's extremity person been allowed to stand? Comment below.

"It's conscionable confused everybody. Newcastle thought they missed the accidental and Birmingham thought they got distant with one. That looks awfully adjacent and it would person been precise hard to give."

Gary Lineker, connected hosting duties for the BBC for the game, confirmed that goalline technology was not successful usage arsenic the crippled was being hosted by a League One side. The determination near Birmingham fans furious with Lugg and they made their feelings wide connected societal media.

One said: "Referees successful this state are f****** terrible. That's borderline corrupt. Not adjacent adjacent to being implicit the line. Utterly f****** disgraceful." Another added: "Disgrace this determination to get escaped of VAR and extremity enactment exertion successful the FA cup. Willock extremity shot was not 100% implicit the line."

A 3rd fumed: "Lineman is down the play, truthful not definite however helium tin springiness that determination and beryllium assured the shot is implicit the line. Flag would person been kept down if it was a Birmingham effort."

A 4th added: "No mode that linesman could spot if that was implicit the line. B*******." A 5th concluded: "Scandalous decision."

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