‘Soft’ - Man City title winner blasts Newcastle United penalty call amid ‘diving’ claims
Micah Richards believes Newcastle United were lucky to earn a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
Referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot after Ederson brought down Anthony Gordon just before the hour mark. The England international - set to pen a six-year contract extension worth a reported £150,000 per week in the coming days - calmly dispatched from 12 yards to pull the Magpies level.
VAR chose not to intervene and stuck with the on-field decision, allowing Newcastle to claw back a point. Toon fans felt as though they should have had another pen moments later when Joelinton was brought down in the area.
However, the referee waved away the protests, perhaps swayed by the decision just minutes earlier. Former Man City defender Richards - who won the Premier League title in 2012 - called the Gordon penalty “soft” on Match of the Day.
“When I first saw it, I didn’t think it was a penalty,” he said. “Now you’re giving me all these angles and it’s slowed down, there is contact there. I understand why they’ve given it but I still think it’s a little bit soft.”
However, England legend Gary Lineker disagreed, insisting Gordon had every right to hit the deck. He replied: “As someone that’s been in that position many times, you know, as a striker, if the goalkeeper comes out and doesn’t get the ball, he'll be moving at you with such pace that a slight flick will send you down.
There’s no divine right for a striker to leap over the goalkeeper. So let him hit you, and it’s a penalty. It’s different from diving - very different.”