KMI Panel upholds referee decisions in Newcastle's 4-1 defeat to Leeds

Newcastle United have received official confirmation that the key refereeing decisions in their 4-1 defeat to Leeds United were correct. The Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel reviewed three incidents from the match at Elland Road and upheld the on-field calls, voting unanimously on two of them.

Fernandez-Pardo handball claim

The panel voted 5-0 that referee Michael Salisbury was right not to award a penalty for a potential handball by Newcastle striker Matias Fernandez-Pardo. The incident occurred after a half-cleared corner, with the panel stating his arms were in an expected position given the bounce of the ball and there was no movement towards it. VAR had also supported the original decision of no penalty.

Calvert-Lewin and Botman clash

Newcastle's belief that Leeds forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin should have been sent off for a first-half clash with Sven Botman was also dismissed. The panel again voted 5-0, agreeing that a yellow card was sufficient. They found Calvert-Lewin stood his ground and used his arms to protect space, with no movement towards Botman. The incident happened with Leeds already leading 2-0, a scoreline built on a Lewis Miley own goal and a Calvert-Lewin strike.

Muharemovic on Barnes

The third reviewed incident saw a 4-1 panel vote backing the decision not to award Newcastle a penalty for a Tarik Muharemovic tackle on Harvey Barnes in the second half. One member dissented, but the majority ruled the contact did not meet the threshold for a foul. VAR had also reviewed the incident in real time and found no clear error.

The 4-1 loss at Elland Road on 14 September is part of a mixed start to the season for Newcastle, who currently sit ninth in the Premier League with eight points from five games. Their recent form shows three wins, one draw and that one defeat, a sequence you can review on our standings page. Eddie Howe's side bounced back with a 2-1 win over Hull City last time out, with goals from Joe Willock and Lewis Hall. They now turn their focus to an away fixture against 18th-placed Coventry City on 12 October, a match detailed in our fixtures schedule. The team's overall performance data shows they have scored 9 goals this season, conceding 7, and have accumulated 12 goal minutes. Their next challenge is a trip to the Coventry Building Society Arena to face a Coventry side that has conceded 11 goals, the third-highest in the league so far.

The original report is at Yorkshire Evening Post