Newcastle United star Joelinton may feel slightly lucky that he wasn’t sent off against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
The Brazilian ace is known for his combative style of play and often toes the line between aggression and foul play.
Newcastle triumphed over Tottenham in the fourth round of the cup with a dominant display at St. James’ Park, but Joelinton’s wild challenge on Mohammed Kudus has sparked a lot of debate in the aftermath.
So, did referee Chris Kavanagh get it right by showing the Magpies midfielder a yellow card? TBR Football speaks exclusively to Mark Clattenburg to get some insight.
Joelinton punishment justified by Mark Clattenburg
With just five minutes of normal time to play and with the scores at 0-0, the incident involving Joelinton and Mohammed Kudus was never likely to have much of an impact on the result. Still, it has got Spurs fans furious for what they perceive to be an injustice against their star man.
With Kudus carrying the ball forward at pace, Joelinton came crashing into the Tottenham ace and sent him tumbling to the ground. As they got back to their feet, Kudus reacted angrily and was shown a yellow card – the same punishment as Joelinton.
Discussing this situation, Clattenburg said: “It does not feel fair that Joelinton, for his challenge, was given the same punishment as Mohammed Kudus. Joelinton’s challenge was certainly reckless and was a scissor action which tripped his opponent.
“To meet the criteria of a red card, however, there needs to be some force and malice used which this challenge lacked and therefore did not endanger the safety of his opponent. Nevertheless, it does not feel right that Kudos received the same punishment after being on the end of that tackle.”
Kudus is a very strong player, so the fact he was forced down clearly indicates something was amiss. But, as Clattenburg explains, it simply wasn’t dangerous enough to warrant any more than a yellow card.
Still, it does sound like Kudus should have been given some leeway for his own angry reaction.
Could Newcastle United retain the Carabao Cup?
Regardless of that controversial challenge, Newcastle United march on in the Carabao Cup. Once again, Nick Woltemade stole the show for the Magpies, and a home quarter-final tie against Fulham awaits.
Earlier this year, Newcastle ended their 56-year wait for a trophy by clinching the League Cup at Wembley. So, can they go all the way and do it again this season?
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Poll: Who will win the Carabao Cup this season?
In the history of the competition, only Manchester City, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, and Liverpool have won back-to-back League Cup titles.
While Newcastle really should be able to get past Fulham in the next round, the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, and Crystal Palace could await in the semi-finals, and none of those teams will be easy to beat.
They pulled it off last season, but it’s hard to imagine this fairly inconsistent Newcastle side having enough about them to lift the trophy again in 2026.