‘Look’: Alan Shearer shares whether he thinks Arsenal should have been given penalty against Newcastle

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Alan Shearer does not feel that Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty when Dan Burn clashed with Gabriel last night.

Shearer and Gunners legend Ian Wright were on punditry duty for the game which ended 0-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

Burn appeared to pull Gabriel to the ground from a set-piece but the referee and VAR did not award a penalty, which Mikel Arteta took exception to after the game.

Unsurprisingly, Shearer came down on Newcastle’s side of the argument and Wright thought it was a penalty, and here is how the exchange played out when the pair were asked whether a spot-kick should have been given.

Shearer and Wright on Arsenal penalty shout for challenge by Burn

Wright: “Yeah, I did, yeah with Gabriel.”

Shearer: “He can’t even say it without laughing, look!”

Wright: “We need it. We wanted something. Dan Burn, he’s all over him here. Look at Dan Burn. He starts that and then pushes him down. That could have been one. Could have given that one. There he goes, look. He impedes him.”

Shearer: “The laugh from Mr Wright tells us all we need to know. That’s all we need to say on that.”

Shearer is always going to back Newcastle but that one did look a penalty, and one that VAR should be able to pick up.

This writer is not a fan of VAR, but it should be useful for use in crowded penalty areas when there is so much for the referee to see in real time.

But that did not prove to be the case last night, although Wright did elsewhere concede that Newcastle were worthy of a point for their performance.