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Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon has weighed in on the VAR debate by issuing the Premier League with an ultimatum.

After being denied a penalty in the Magpies’ 3-2 defeat at Manchester United on Wednesday night, Gordon believes VAR should be scrapped if it’s not going to be improved.

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Top-flight clubs will vote on getting rid of the VAR system for the 2024/25 season in a meeting next month with 14 teams needing to vote in favour for the motion to pass.

And England international Gordon has been left in two minds over whether it should stay after Newcastle had a first half penalty call go against them when they were trailing 1-0.

The 23-year-old darted into the box, where he was caught on the Achilles by Sofyan Amrabat, who then bundled the ex-Everton forward to the ground.

Gordon was left with a huge hole in the back of his sock, but to his shock, referee Rob Jones was not sent to the pitchside monitor by VAR.

And Gordon was quick to vent his anger to Sky Sports following the five-goal thriller which has seen Newcastle drop to seventh spot – level on points with eighth-placed United heading into the final weekend of the campaign.

He said: “[My ankle’s] really sore. I’m not too sure how good my ankle will be.

“But I’ve watched the incident back, it’s a clear penalty. I don’t mind the referee getting it wrong on the pitch because it’s a difficult decision, things happen really quickly.

“But I don’t understand what the point of VAR is then, because it’s there to correct mistakes.

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“He [Amrabat] goes down my Achilles and pushes me in the back, and then Casemiro comes and gets the ball.

“But it’s two fouls before that, I honestly don’t see the point in it.

“I knew straight away [I was fouled], that’s why I didn’t appeal, because I thought, ‘I don’t mind the referee not giving it, it’s fast, but I’ll wait for the VAR to check.’

“You can see me telling my teammates, ‘Don’t worry, it’s a penalty’, and then we carry on and I’m just like, ‘I’ve got no sock left, so how is that possible?’

“I don’t understand the point of it, I really don’t.”

Commenting on whether VAR should be scrapped or not, Gordon remarked: “It’s a big decision, I’m actually quite fond of it.

“I’m fond of the idea, it should be a thing that works in the league, but it’s not, there’s constantly too many mistakes.

“We’ve missed too many chances to blame anyone else, but we could go 1-0 up [level at 1-1] and then the game changes.

“It’s clear and obvious mistake, I don’t know how you can get it wrong, so you either get rid of it, or get better. It’s very simple.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was left equally as stunned by his side not being awarded a spot-kick, as he said in his post-match press conference: “Stonewall penalty.

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“I don’t know why VAR didn’t get involved.”

The result means that Newcastle have to claim all three points away at Brentford on Sunday to guarantee themselves of a top-seven finish to secure at least Europa Conference League football.

And should Chelsea lose at home to Bournemouth, they would then achieve Europa League qualification at their expense.

VAR was once again a source of controversy after an unusual decision that following an overruled Chelsea penalty.

The Blues were awarded a spot-kick during the first-half of their clash at Brighton when Facundo Buonanotte was adjuged to have fouled Marc Cucurella.

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However, replays showed that Buonanotte won the ball in what was well-timed challenge, with VAR calling referee Michael Salisbury to review it.

Salisbury went to the monitor and overruled the penalty, but for some reason called for a drop ball instead of a Chelsea corner.

And on a day where it was revealed that Premier League clubs are set to vote on potentially scrapping VAR, the refereeing proved to be contentious again.

Many fans on social media were confused with the outcome, with one on X saying: “Good call, not a penalty, but should have been a corner to Chelsea.”

“So if it’s not a penalty how the f*** is it not a corner? Even when VAR works ‘correctly’ they still manage to get it wrong, scrap it,” added a second.

A third said: “Don’t understand the officiating at times in this EPL. If it’s not a penalty to Chelsea then it’s a corner for them. It’s clear as day.”

“Sorry. No pen. No corner. No ball to Chelsea. Wtf,” added a fourth.

Luckily for Chelsea, they took the lead just after the half-hour mark when Cole Palmer expertly headed in Cucurella’s cross from the left.

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The Blues had to make a concussion substitute in the 42nd minute after Mykhailo Mudryk collided with Tariq Lamptey.

Christopher Nkunku replaced him moments before Nicolas Jackson thought he headed in their second, only to be adjudged offside.

Teams who make the semi-finals at Euro 2024 won’t have to worry about the dreaded third-place play-off this summer.

Instead, countries that fail to make the final will simply be heading home.

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This year’s Euros is being held in Germany, and the country is gearing up to host a cracking tournament.

But there will be no added game in this edition.

Will there be a third-place play-off at Euro 2024?

No, there won’t be and there hasn’t been one for several years now.

UEFA scrapped the idea after the 1980 tournament held in Italy.

That final match saw the hosts lose 9-8 on penalties to Czechoslovakia following a 1-1 draw.

However, there was barely any interest in the game, with TV audiences right down.

The attendance in the ground was low as well, despite the fact the host nation were playing.

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There have since been ten European Championships played without a third-place play-off, unlike FIFA’s World Cup, which has one every tournament.

The rationale for getting rid of the third-place play-off is sound because after missing out on the final, the last thing any losing nation wants to do is compete for the bronze medal.

On reflection, third would probably be seen as a success, but at the time, just days after losing a semi-final to reach a major final, the enthusiasm from fans just isn’t there.

So there will be no third-place play-off in Germany this time, and it’s hard to see why UEFA would ever bring it back.

Stefan Ortega was the unlikely hero for Manchester City with what could prove to be a title-winning save.

The German goalkeeper is used to being Ederson’s understudy at Man City but got the call during the second half when the Brazilian was brought off after suffering a suspected concussion.

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While Ederson was less-than impressed at being taken off, Ortega relished his opportunity with three stunning stops, one of which is being dubbed as a sliding doors moment in the title race.

With Heung-min Son played through on goal, Ortega pulled off a world-class save to deny the South Korean star, keeping the score at 1-0 at the time thanks to Erling Haaland’s effort.

That paved the way for Haaland to wrap up the win from the penalty spot, but while the goal-machine will get credit, it’s Ortega who may just have cost Arsenal their first Premier League title in 20 years.

His role in the win was clear at full-time with Ruben Dias and Mateo Kovacic running straight to him once the referee blew the whistle, while Guardiola and Haaland could be seen congratulating him moments later.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Pep Guardiola said: “Stefan did his job in showing what an incredible keeper he is.

“These days in football you have to have two or even three incredible goalkeepers because Ederson this season had three or four injury setbacks.”

Rodri echoed those sentiments immediately after full-time, saying to Sky Sports: “Stefan, he saved us.

“This is football. We have the best striker in the world and today he made the difference and people talk about him but Stefan was simply incredible.

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“We were 1-0 up and his three saves, I have no words.

“Of course Eddy (Ederson) was frustrated but the substitution made sense because he had a concussion.”

Rodri wasn’t the only player to heap praise on Ortega though, with Kyle Walker comparing him to one of the all-time greats.

He told Sky Sports: “Stefan, he’s got that spread hasn’t he? He reminds me of Manuel Neuer – the German goalkeepers have got that spread.

“Manu (Akanji) was great all night and it’s sod’s law that one mistake can end up in a goal but he’s got that spread and his big calves came into play.

“I bet his heart was in his mouth, but I was just thinking ‘no, not again’.

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“For Sonny, we’ve spent so much time together at Tottenham and so for him to do it to me – he’s the nicest man in football – so for him to do it to me, I don’t think I could have forgiven him.

“But the stars aligned for us and we’ve got a chance to go and do it in the last game of the season.”

As for the Arsenal fans, well it’s a save that may stay in their heads for many years to come.

One fan said: “Absolutely gutted with that result. Can’t fault Tottenham to be fair. They did put up more of a fight than I thought they would. It wasn’t meant to be this season. Proud of the team regardless. (That Son miss will keep me up all night).”

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Another said: “Can’t believe Son missed that one on one.”

While this fan said: “Heung-min Son, you’ve entered the hall of my nightmare misses.”

Man City will secure their fourth consecutive Premier League title with a victory at home to West Ham, while Arsenal will now be praying for a slip-up as they take on Everton.

Tony Bellew didn’t hold back when he joined talkSPORT to address John Fury’s recent threats against him.

Tyson Fury’s dad made headlines on Monday when he headbutted a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s team at a Saudi Arabian hotel ahead of his son’s undisputed clash with the Ukrainian this weekend.

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Fury Sr emerged from the heated altercation with a cut on his head and blood trickling down his face while the team member in question, Stanislav Stepchuk, sported a small nick of his own.

Before he could even wipe the blood away from his face, he was already giving interviews – and he had a few choice words for Bellew.

“You see Tony Bellew? He will get a headbutt like [Stepchuk] just got if he comes around me,” he told assembled media in reference to Bellew recently picking Usyk to beat Fury.

Speaking for the first time since the incident, Bellew called in to talkSPORT Drive with Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent on Tuesday afternoon, to have his say.

“No one is going to headbutt me, full stop. I’ve made my predictions that’s what I’m paid to do,” began Bellew.

“I don’t fear no man and no man is going to put it on me. Understand this, for every action, there is a reaction.

“It was very bizarre watching that yesterday because there’s one guy going head to head with him that is the same size and he didn’t feel like headbutting him.

“But he felt the need to headbutt the child in the group which I found quite disturbing to be honest.”

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“It’s embarrassing, if my father behaved like that at a press conference I would pull him and tell him.

“It can’t be happening, it’s a really bad look for boxing.

“I’m actually surprised it’s been allowed to go on and happen but it is what it is. He’s a walking, talking liability.”

The former cruiserweight world champion then took aim at Fury Sr’s underwhelming 13-fight (8-4-1) pro boxing career.

“I don’t need to call out John Fury, I’ve achieved more in 60 seconds of my boxing career than John Fury has in his life,” Bellew added.

“He could not even be spoken about in the same breath as me.

“I never big myself up, but just because something shot out of your nuts and became one of the greatest heavyweights in the world, that does not mean you can validate your opinion on every other fighter.

“You have not got the first clue what it is like to be a championship-minded fighter.

“You got your a*** handed to you by Henry Akinwande, now get a grip of yourself.

“I’m trying to be as respectful as I can but he needs to keep my name out of his mouth.

“I don’t fear any man whatsoever and I include him in that…. Unless he learns massive amounts of wrestling and jiu-jitsu tomorrow then I have no fears whatsoever.”

It was the brutal and unflinching eye roll seen around the world.

The relationship between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau appears to be fine now.

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But back in 2021, the Koepka vs DeChambeau rivalry was at peak flame, and Koepka clearly wasn’t a DeChambeau fan.

During what was supposed to be a normal follow-up interview, Koepka unleashed an eye roll at the PGA Championship that still must be seen to be believed three years later.

“The golf course was asking a lot of you today Brooks, what were you able to do well and put up that nice number?” Koepka was asked by a reporter.

He started to answer, heard DeChambeau walking by, then unleashed an eye roll straight out of Mean Girls.

“Sometimes, um … I lost my train of thought, hearing that b*******” Koepka said. “F****** Christ.”

It took several seconds for Koepka to recover.

When he did, he told the reporter that he didn’t mind if the footage was rewatched by others.

“I honestly wouldn’t even care,” Koepka said.

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Phil Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in South Carolina, finishing two strokes ahead of Koepka.

Mickelson, who later joined the controversial LIV tour, was 50 years and 11 months when he won the ’21 PGA, becoming the oldest golfer to win a major.

But all anyone wanted to talk about was Koepka vs DeChambeau in 2021.

“I hated Bryson before this,” one fan posted. “He is now my hero.”

“I’m waiting for the day Bryson knocks his a** out cold,” a second fan wrote.

Koepka later revealed what exactly from DeChambeau set him off — and unleashed an eye roll that will never be forgotten in golf history.

“He didn’t say anything to me,” Koepka said. “He wasn’t speaking to me. He was, I guess, either signing his scorecard or wherever he was, and I was just to the right of the media tent, or I guess right in front of the microphones where you guys all were.

“I don’t want to say he was like screaming – he was saying something about how he hit a perfect shot and it shouldn’t have been there, and it was just very, very loud. I don’t think the mics picked up on that, but it felt like just so that the fans could hear.

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“With the media right there, you kind of know, hey, look, we’re all kind of in this area, just tone it down, and it was just so loud. Then I think he realised that he had gotten right behind me, and he toned it down a little bit. I just lost train of thought, which I think was pretty obvious.”

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are among the big-name golfers preparing for the PGA Championship’s return to Valhalla in 2024.

First-round play starts on Thursday in Louisville.

Koepka is ranked 39th in the current Official World Golf Rankings.

DeChambeau is unranked but had a strong showing at the 2024 Masters.

Crazy scenes aren’t uncommon at the PGA Championship.

A former winner stunned the crowd with a ‘Happy Gilmore’ swing at Valhalla before missing the cut.

Mike Tyson has admitted he is struggling with training for his upcoming clash with Jake Paul.

Paul and Tyson came face-to-face for the first time since their surprise professional encounter set for July 20 was announced at the first leg of their press tour.

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The heavyweight legend was asked how he was feeling ahead of the fight, and his response drew an awkward silence in the crowd.

Tyson replied: “I’m beautiful but my body is s*** right now. I’m really sore.”

It is no wonder he is sore, given the former undisputed champion suffers from sciatica and has even been seen using a walking stick.

There has been a significant amount of criticism from the boxing world for the sanctioned fight taking place, with it set to count on both fighters’ professional records.

Heavyweight icon Tyson hasn’t fought competitively since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005, and it was already a sad decline for the legend who was defeated in three of his four final outings.

Paul has limited experience in the ring with his toughest challenge coming against Tommy Fury to whom he was beaten in February 2023.

But the ‘Problem Child’ is 27 years old and in his physical prime, which has led to questions over Tyson’s health given he could take some damaging shots.

Tyson has been releasing a series of training clips in a bid to prove his fitness, where he has shown off his trademark devastating power on the pads.

Fans have even called for either fighter to cancel the fight, with the risks to both seemingly concerning the boxing world.

Despite the concern, it appears the fight will go ahead with Tyson talking on stage alongside Katie Taylor, who will meet Amanda Serrano on the co-main event.

And Taylor was simply starstruck when sat alongside the youngest-ever heavyweight champion, praising him for his role in the sport.

She said: “He is an icon of the sport, it is just incredible. You are a legend.

“I fell in the love with the sport in the 90’s, and Mike Tyson was the biggest name in boxing at the time.

“You are ferocious, super exciting to watch and a real historian and I love your knowledge.

“I cannot believe I am sat next to Mike Tyson right now, I am pinching myself.”

Fan footage has captured Crewe Alexandra hero Max Stryjek cheekily throwing the Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper’s bottle into the stands.

Crewe beat Rovers 2-0 on Friday night in their League Two play-off semi-final second leg to make the aggregate score 2-2 and with neither side able to find a winner in extra time, it went to penalties.

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The shootout saw Stryjek doing his best to hinder his opponents. Before it started, the Crewe goalkeeper ran behind the goal that the spot-kicks were going to be taken at.

Stryjek then seemingly found the bottle of Doncaster goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala, who is on loan from Hull City.

He then decided to launch it all the way into the stands towards the Crewe fans in the away end at the Eco-Power Stadium.

One supporter was able to get hold of the bottle, which had notes for Lo-Tutala on which way to dive for each of Crewe’s penalties.

Stryjek’s mind games initially looked like they hadn’t worked as his side missed their second penalty of the shootout.

Mickey Demetriou saw his effort saved by Lo-Tutala, who went down to his right as per what he was told on his bottle’s instructions.

However, he didn’t save another penalty after that as Crewe went on to win 4-3 on penalties, with Stryjek stopping two efforts himself.

His final save of the shootout proved to be the decider as he denied Hakeeb Adelakun to send them to Wembley for the play-off final.

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Stryjek’s efforts are made even more remarkable by the fact that he signed for Crewe on an emergency loan in April from Wycombe.

Tom Booth and Harvey Davies both picked up injuries so they were left without a fit professional goalkeeper, with Stryjek so far making five appearances.

He could be set to start at Wembley for the final too, with Crewe to play Crawley Town on Sunday for a place in League One next season.

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Rory McIlroy believes the ‘stars are aligning’ ahead of the PGA Championship following an emphatic win at Wells Fargo.

The Irish star stormed to a five-shot victory at Quail Hollow as he overturned a one-shot deficit to Xander Schauffele.

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That win, alongside his victory with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event, has left the 35-year-old feeling rather positive ahead of a big week at Valhalla Golf Cluv in Kentucky.

Victory in the Wells Fargo Championship – his fourth at the venue – means that McIlroy now has back-to-back wins on the PGA tour.

McIlroy’s last major victory was the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2014, an honour he won after securing victory at Wells Fargo the week before.

The four-time major winner heads to Valhalla as second-favourite to come out victorious behind Scottie Scheffler.

Hoping for a good omen, McIlroy says that confidence is high as he looks to secure the fifth major of his career.

He said: “I really got some confidence from New Orleans winning with Shane.

“And then coming into this week, at a golf course I’m comfortable at, my golf swing feels a lot more comfortable than it has done.

“Going to a venue [Valhalla] next week where I’ve won, it feels like the stars are aligning a little bit.

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“But I have got a lot of golf to play and a lot of great players to try and beat next week.

“I’m going into the next major of the year feeling really good about myself.”

Scheffler himself is expected to compete at Valhalla after his wife, Meredith, gave birth to their first child.

The 106th edition of the PGA Championship starts on Thursday, May 16 with the best of the action across the talkSPORT network.

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has hilariously vowed to get a Tottenham tattoo if they’re able to beat Manchester City on Tuesday.

This season’s Premier League title race will be decided on the final day of the season next Sunday after the Gunners won 1-0 against Manchester United.

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Victory has put Mikel Arteta’s side back at the top of the table and a point ahead of City. However, the champions have a game in hand as they take on Spurs.

Should Pep Guardiola’s side fail to win in north London then Arsenal, who have a better goal difference of +3, will be in the box seat going into the final day.

But Merson, who won two league titles with Arsenal, doesn’t believe Spurs can pull off a result against City, making a pretty confident proposal to show how sure he is about City’s ability to get the win they need.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “If you’re relying on Tottenham to win a football match or draw a football match… yeah… no.

“If they win that, I’ll have a Tottenham tattoo, I will,” he added.

When asked where he’d have it, he laughed and said: “Where you can’t see it!”

Meanwhile, Arsenal forward Kai Havertz admitted that for once he’s fully behind Ange Postecoglou’s men.

“I’m going to be the biggest fan of Tottenham ever, I think. We’re all going to be so let’s hope for the best,” Havertz told Sky Sports.

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Victory for Spurs could boost their hopes of a top four finish, but this is only if Aston Villa fail to beat Liverpool on Monday night, live on talkSPORT.

The goal difference between the two sides stands at eight, with Villa on +20 and Spurs on +12, and Merson believes this could be crucial.

“If Villa got beat tomorrow by two or three, all of a sudden the goal difference changes a bit,” he said.

“Then they get beat by one or two at [Crystal] Palace, so if they lost their next two games by two clear goals, and I’m not talking out of ordinary here, that’s four goals.

“Then all of a sudden, Tottenham get a draw against Man City and then I’m having a tattoo and then they’ve got to put six past Sheffield United, it all goes down to tomorrow.”

Merson further ensured he’ll stick to his word over the tattoo, saying: “It’ll be that little cockerel on the ball, I will have it, I tell you I will have it.”

Gunners boss Arteta was jokingly asked after their win at United if he’ll watch Tuesday night’s match in Spurs pyjamas in a show of support.

However, he laughed it off and said: “I watch all the games. It’s true, we need that result to achieve it, and on top of that we have to do our job, so everything is at stake.”

“It’s football, there’s always possibilities,” he added as all eyes point towards the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium midweek.

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