EFL release statement on VAR controversy in Newcastle's Carabao Cup win over Liverpool

Newcastle beat Liverpool 2-1 to win the Carabao Cup on Sunday, but there was some controversy as the Reds were denied a penalty for a handball shout against Kieran Trippier

The English Football League (EFL) have explained why Liverpool were not awarded a penalty as they were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.

Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak earned Newcastle the win, while Federico Chiesa scored what proved to be a consolation goal in added time. However, there was some controversy over whether Liverpool should have been given a penalty when the score was 0-0.

Kieran Trippier and Luis Diaz were jostling for the ball when it struck the Newcastle defender's hand. Referee John Brooks did not award a penalty at the time and a VAR check upheld his decision.

And the EFL have explained that Trippier was not penalised as his arm was in "an expected position" when it made contact with the ball. They said: "The referee's call of no penalty for handball by Trippier was checked and confirmed by VAR – with his arm deemed to be in an expected position with no clear or deliberate action towards the ball."

Delivering his verdict on the incident, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports : "It definitely hit Trippier's hand, we can see that from up here. VAR is saying his arms are out for balance, which takes it away from Diaz. In Europe, I think it is probably given as a penalty."

Ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean, meanwhile, felt the decision was correct. "I can sort of understand what Stuart [Attwell] is saying," Dean said. "The wording is right, it is for balance. His arm is outstretched for balance. I don't think it is a penalty."

Shortly after the incident, Burn put Newcastle in front with an excellent header and the Magpies went on to claim a memorable victory. "We were well aware of the history and we wanted to do the club proud," Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said after the game.

"We wanted to score, we wanted to perform and we wanted to win. We are breaking new ground, I thought we were magnificent today. We worked consistently for two weeks on set plays just for this game and if you had seen us in practice you would have said we had no chance.

"We couldn't believe Dan Burn scored - he didn't train like that! He was a colossus for us. I want to enjoy it first. I am always about tomorrow but I'll put the coaching books away for a few days. Both teams were quite direct and we dealt with that really well.

"Nobody wanted to make a mistake, there wasn't much pretty football played but we were effective in both boxes. We didn't want to show our hand when we played them a few weeks ago, we still wanted to win that game we just did it in a different way."

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