Handball controversy surrounds Newcastle United's opening goal vs Sheffield United, fans give clear verdict

Newcastle showed their class and dismantled Sheffield United ruthlessly in their Premier League clash at Bramall Lane.

The Magpies have travelled to the Steel City this afternoon in the top flight and have not messed about.

The Blades were promoted from the Championship last season as runners-up to Burnley, but the encounter has shown the gulf between the top flight and a side which were in the second tier in the 2022/23 campaign.

Sean Longstaff fired Newcastle in front after 20 minutes, with the Magpies doubling their lead when Dan Burn was unmarked from a corner to head home.

And Kieran Tripper's sublime free-kick was nodded in by Sven Botman as Eddie Howe's side went in three goals to the good at the break and giving the struggling Blades a huge challenge to find a way back into the encounter.

But there have been some question marks raised about Newcastle's opening goal.

The architect of it was Anthony Gordon, who came on early in the clash to replace the injured Harvey Barnes.

Gordon burst into the box to the by-line, with it looking close whether the ball was kept in play, but he managed so by inches.

A perhaps bigger issue was that of handball, with the ball clearly striking Gordon's hand as he kept it in play.

However, the goal has stood after Longstaff finished clinically as, though the ball did clearly strike Gordon's hand, it was not deemed to be deliberate.

But fans appear to have taken completely the opposite view to the officials on the incident and believe it was indeed a deliberate handball offence, according to users on X, formerly known as Twitter.

@nufc_seb wrote: "That’s hand ball and I’m amazed it was allowed. No bias here."

@AmeerAleeyou posted: "Biggest handball."

@eliotchauke1 wrote: "if the hand make contact with the ball... its handball. Lets not complicate things."

@kfejdbfb posted: "Clear handball. Was bouncing out before it hits his hand, hand keeps the ball in play. Most clear handball you’ll see."

@Owene2220 wrote: "Of course its handball whats the point in var."

@SaizydNUFC posted: "It was but not gonna lie, happily take it."

@Costanza55 wrote: "Laws of the game say that should be disallowed. It’s not even a grey area.

"I suspect they got so hung up on checking whether the ball went out they forgot everything else."

Newcastle added further goals courtesy of Callum Wilson, Gordon, Miguel Almiron, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak as they claimed a record-levelling 8-0 Premier League away win.