Newcastle United’s Joelinton may count himself fortunate after escaping a red card for a reckless challenge on Mohammed Kudus during Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup Round of 16 clash at St. James’ Park.

With the score at 0–0 and just five minutes of normal time remaining, Kudus was driving forward when Joelinton lunged in with a scissor-style tackle, sending the Tottenham midfielder tumbling. Kudus reacted angrily, and both players were shown yellow cards by referee Chris Kavanagh — a decision that has sparked debate among fans and pundits.

Clattenburg’s Verdict

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, speaking to TBR Football, offered a nuanced take:

“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… which this challenge lacked.”

While Clattenburg acknowledged the optics of injustice, he maintained that the tackle did not endanger Kudus’ safety, and thus did not meet the threshold for a red card.

“It does not feel fair that Joelinton was given the same punishment as Kudus… Kudus should have been given some leeway for his reaction.”

Despite the flashpoint, Kudus delivered a clinical cameo, but could not prevent Spurs’ 2–0 defeat, as Fabian Schär and Nick Woltemade fired Newcastle into the quarter-finals, where they’ll face Fulham.