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Julen Lopetegui blames referee for Wolves defeat at Newcastle United

1 year ago
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Julen Lopetegui watched on as his Wolves side lost 2-1 to Newcastle United.

Newcastle by some distance the better team.

However, Julen Lopetegui feeling hard done by.

Blaming the referee for the defeat…

The Wolves manager wanting to focus on a first half incident where Nick Pope and Raul Jimenez collided in the box in the first half when the game was goalless.

Julen Lopetegui declaring ‘For me it was a very, very clear penalty for us. We are very unlucky with the referee and we were also very unlucky with the referee in other games too and this is a pity for us. It’s true that we have suffered big mistakes…For me, it was a penalty.”

The truth was, Newcastle United absolutely battered Wolves in the first half and should have been out of sight by the break.

As the stats show below, Newcastle had thirteen shots to only two for Wolves in the first half, five on target compared to one for the visitors, whilst NUFC had six corners and Wolves one in this first half.

As for the claimed penalty, if Julen Lopetegui looks properly at the replays. Yes, there was obviously contact between Pope and Jimenez BUT the Wolves striker clearly changes direction after playing the ball and throws himself into the Newcastle keeper, to try and get a penalty and red card for Nick Pope.

Julen Lopetegui reflecting on losing at St James’ Park:

“It is always difficult to accept a defeat because you want to win all the matches.

“It is difficult but we have to do it and we have to improve and to continue working for the next match.

“I don’t know if we deserved more.

“If it was just the second-half, then yes.

“But in the first-half, they were better than us.

“We hit the post and after a very clear penalty, which was a pity.

“In the first-half, they overcame us but in the second-half we improved a lot and we changed many things, we overcame them, we deserved to score and in the end we should have drawn the match.

“For me it was a very, very clear penalty [Pope colliding with Jimenez] for us.

“We are very unlucky with the referee and we were also very unlucky with the referee in other games too and this is a pity for us.

“It’s true that we have suffered big mistakes – a lot of matches ago at Liverpool and again today.

“For me, it was a penalty.

“Maybe the VAR can help the referee more in this case.

“We were very unlucky with the decision and we haven’t had any penalties since I arrived here but we have to continue working.”

Relegation fight:

“The relegation fight is going to be until the last match.

“It involves a lot of team, a lot of good teams and we have to be ready.

“We are in the middle of the battle.

“We want to be out but we’re going to have to suffer if we want to deserve in the end to be out.

“Sometimes we will lose and sometimes we will win, but we have to put the focus on the next game, to continue fighting, to improve the right things and put the focus on what we have in front of us.”

Stats from BBC Sport:

Newcastle 2 Wolves 1 – Sunday 12 March 4.30pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 26, Almiron 79

Wolves:

Hwang Hee-Chan 70

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Wolves 58% (49%) Newcastle 42% (51%)

Total shots were Wolves 7 (2) Newcastle 19 (13)

Shots on target were Wolves 4 (1) Newcastle 8 (5)

Corners were Wolves 3 (1) Newcastle 10 (6)

Referee: Andy Madley

Attendance: 52,240 (Wolves 3,000)

Newcastle United:

Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Longstaff, Bruno, Willock, Murphy (Ritchie 85), Isak (Wilson 68), Saint-Maximin (Almiron 68)

Unused Subs:

Dubravka, Dummett, Lascelles, Targett, Manquillo, Anderson

(Newcastle 2 Wolves 1 – Match ratings and comments on all the NUFC players – Read HERE)

(Newcastle 2 Wolves 1 – The instant NUFC fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)

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