Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak helped the Magpies to an iconic win at Wembley Stadium before the international break in a final that wasn’t without controversy. Federico Chiesa’s goal to make it 2-1 late into the game was originally flagged for offside and it took a lengthy VAR check for the initial decision to be overturned.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Clattenburg who is a Newcastle fan, ridiculed the decision which he says took momentum out of the game, which may have helped manager Arne Slot bring the scoreline level.
"I’ll always say it (VAR) is killing the emotion of the game.
"That Liverpool player (Federico Chiesa) should be allowed to celebrate his goal, even though he doesn’t really want to celebrate because he wants to get the ball back to the halfway line.
"That critical moment suited Newcastle, in a way. Liverpool were just inserting a bit of pressure, and the pressure has just been released by that VAR decision. It allowed Newcastle to regroup. It was probably benefitting Newcastle, not Liverpool."
It is hard to say if Liverpool could have used that momentum to score another in the dying moments of the game but the fact is that VAR slowed down play which meant Newcastle could focus and regroup. The speed of VAR has been questioned for some time and with decisions such as this constantly causing controversy, many fans will be hoping automated offsides will help.