'Stonewall penalty!' - Eddie Howe left 'devastated' after Newcastle were denied spot-kick in Chelsea draw

Newcastle started strongly, with Nick Woltemade scoring twice in the first 20 minutes. His first was a rebound finish in the fourth minute after Robert Sanchez parried an initial shot from Anthony Gordon, and the second a 20th-minute goal courtesy of a Gordon cross. Chelsea looked abject but came out with renewed vigour after the break. Reece James sparked the comeback with a brilliant free-kick in the 49th minute, curling the ball past Aaron Ramsdale. 

The major talking point occurred with the score at 2-1, in the 54th minute Gordon was challenged robustly in the box by Chalobah, but referee Andy Madley waved away penalty appeals. VAR official Peter Bankes reviewed the incident but confirmed the on-field decision, explaining the contact was a "side-to-side in a shielding action" and the ball was within playing distance. TV pundits Joe Cole and Ally McCoist agreed it should have been a spot-kick.

The decision proved costly for the hosts, as Joao Pedro equalised in the 66th minute after capitalising on a slip from Malick Thiaw and fired the ball low past Aaron Ramsdale. 

Speaking to TNT Sports, Toon boss Howe said: "Desperately disappointed. The lads gave so much in that game. We had very minimal recovery time. To produce the physical performance we did speaks volumes for the lads' mentality. Devastated not to win. I think the free-kick changed the game really.

"We had chances in the first half as well. That elusive third goal wasn't there for us today. Overall, there's a very positive feeling of how we played today. Really, really good from the lads today."

On the penalty incident, Howe added: "My opinion, yes. I think it's a clear penalty. Anywhere else on the pitch, that's a free-kick. The player has gone into Anthony aggressively. Too aggressively in my opinion. So I think it was stonewall. The defender was only looking at Anthony and not the ball. I think it's too aggressive." 

Following the incident, the Premier League explained the reasoning in a post on X: "The referee’s call of no penalty to Newcastle was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the contact from Chalobah on Gordon deemed to be side-to-side in a shielding action and the ball within playing distance."

Meanwhile, retired Premier League official Darren Cann told the BBC: "At normal speed I can understand why the referee didn’t award a penalty. Chalobah certainly takes a risk in making such a challenge because there’s clear contact with Gordon. So the decision was right to be reviewed by VAR, who came to the conclusion that a clear and obvious error had not been made and stayed with the on-field decision of no penalty. I do think that had a penalty been given, I believe the VAR would have stuck with that decision too. So this comes down to 'referee’s call'"

Chelsea and Newcastle will both have to navigate a challenging run of games over Christmas and into the New Year, aiming to maintain their league positions and progress in cup competitions. Newcastle face a demanding stretch with a mix of league and cup action, taking on Manchester United away, Burnley away, and then home games against Crystal Palace, Leeds United, and Bournemouth in the FA Cup. Chelsea have home advantage for two of their next three matches, playing Aston Villa and Bournemouth at home before a tough start to 2026 away at Manchester City and Fulham, and then away to Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup.