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EXPERT ANALYSIS: GARY NEVILLE BREAKS DOWN THE VAR DECISION ON LISANDRO MARTINEZ’S HANDBALL.

Gary Neville explains how "wrestling" with Malick Thiaw saved Lisandro Martinez from a handball penalty against Newcastle United.

Expert Analysis: Gary Neville breaks down the VAR decision on Lisandro Martinez’s handball.
Newcastle’s Champions League hopes are fading fast

Gary Neville said Lisandro Martinez got away without a penalty against Newcastle United because he was wrestling with Malick Thiaw. The Magpies wanted a penalty in the first half when Fabian Schar's shot was blocked by the Red Devils' Argentinian defender's arm.

The Video Assistant Referee checked it out but didn't call a penalty because they thought the two defenders were in contact with each other. Before the shot, they had been grappling during a corner, so they were close when Schar got the ball near United's goal area.

Eddie Howe's team was losing at Old Trafford after Patrick Dorgu scored first. But the visitors got better as the game went on and put pressure on the home team.

That looks like a penalty, Neville said. Schar shoots, and his arm is way up in the air.

But is it because he's pushing Thiaw? That might be why he didn't get called.

He's basically wrestling with the other Newcastle defender, so his arms are already up.

If Thiaw weren't there, it would definitely be a penalty. I think he might have been saved because he was wrestling with the other defender, and his arms were already up.

He's saying that because he was fighting with another player, his arms were already up, and he just didn't bring them down.

The visitors won 2-0 at Old Trafford the last time they were there, but they struggled to repeat that after a slow start.

Still, they put on some pressure, with Lewis Hall's hard shot hitting the crossbar.

Newcastle hasn't been doing well away from home, with only one win in their first few games.

The Magpies wanted to move up into the top half of the Premier League and get back in the running for the Champions League.

A loss would leave Newcastle in 11th place, six points behind Chelsea in fourth, and near the bottom half of the table before the holiday games.

On the second-to-last day of the year, Burnley is hosting the Magpies in a game both teams really need to win, with Burnley near the bottom.

Turf Moor has been good to Newcastle recently, with three wins in their last four, as Newcastle really wants a second league win away from home.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

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Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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