Newcastle and Liverpool played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at St James' Park, but both sides will have a sense of 'what if' after key decisions went against them.
Amid the drama of an action-packed game, there were four particularly controversial moments:
We answer the key questions surrounding some of the big refereeing decisions in the North East…
Was the full-time whistle blown too early?
Referee Madley blew the full-time whistle just seconds after the initial minimum five-minute allocation had expired. Newcastle were counter-attacking, with Isak joined by two teammates in support.
St James' Park erupted in anger, believing the official had not considered the dangerous situation Newcastle were creating before calling the time.
The other issue Newcastle raised was how Madley did not add more extra time due to several stoppage time interruptions.
After the 90th minute there were two VAR checks for Liverpool penalties of 21 and 54 seconds respectively. In addition, one minute and ten seconds were lost when Newcastle scored a free-kick on the edge of Liverpool's penalty area, which Isak fired over.
In total, the ball was in play for just one minute and 59 seconds out of the five assigned by the referees.
Referee Madley blew his full-time whistle at 95:10, leaving just 10 seconds for stoppages.
Should Van Dijk have been given a penalty and sent off?
Earlier in the match, Gordon troubled Liverpool defender Joe Gomez with an undersized back pass but it was denied by goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. But then he appeared to be checked off the ball by Van Dijk in Liverpool's penalty area.
The incident was not picked up by referee Madley, and a brief VAR review to check for a penalty – and possible red card – sided with his decision on the pitch.
If Ian Wright had been at Stockley Park, Van Dijk would have been punished. “He knows exactly what he's doing. That's a pen,” he said on The Overlap Watchalong.
Roy Keane was also unequivocal in his assessment. “That's a penalty,” he added.
Speaking on Ref Watch, Dermot Gallagher was less certain of Van Dijk's intentions.
“It's hard to say,” he said. “They have to say that it is violent behavior if it becomes a red card. We see that a collision occurs. Clenched fist, elbow pulled back, then you think it is violent.”
“He leaves some to him, but not enough for the referee.”
Was Quansah saved by a touch of the ball?
Isak burst into the penalty area before going down under a challenge from Quansah.
Newcastle were convinced they should have been awarded a penalty, but referee Madley allowed the game to continue. There was a check from VAR Stuart Attwell, but he agreed with the decision on the pitch.
“I thought it was a penalty on Alex, but I didn't see a replay, that was just a first thought,” Toon boss Eddie Howe said after the match.
At first glance, you have to agree with Howe's assessment. Quansah dangled a leg and made definitive contact with Isak, but was there a touch on the ball?
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards thought so, saying: “He gets a little tap there, but he also gets Isak.”
Attwell seemingly agreed with Richards and it is the weakest touch on the ball that almost certainly saves Quansah from conceding a penalty, despite also catching Isak.
Were Liverpool denied a penalty for a Burn handball?
There was a Premier League statement about this after Liverpool wanted an injury time penalty following Alexis Mac Allister's shot that hit Dan Burn on the arm.
Madley rejected their appeal and VAR did not intervene, prompting the Premier League Match Center to post on , who judges that his arm was in the arm's body.”
If these two had played in a UEFA competition, it might have been a different story, according to Gallagher.
He told Ref Watch: “We saw one against Newcastle for (Tino) Livramento in the Champions League [against PSG last season]!
“Their tolerance level is much, much lower. I remember watching Ireland play in Switzerland, the ball hits Seamus Coleman, a penalty is given and you're disappointed.
“A yellow card was also given, which felt like a double punishment.”
However, Gallagher was pleased that Madley and VAR did not punish Burn.
“If you see it head-on, you'll see Burn putting his elbows in his chest,” he said. “No doubt he hits his elbow. His elbow is in his body. If he doesn't hit that, it'll be in the chest.
“The one thing the referees have been really good at this year is handball. Last year it was a lottery at times, but it's in a much safer place where everyone will say yes.
“Liverpool will be disappointed, but most people agree that this is not what we want from handball.”
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