Fulham head coach Marco Silva expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating in Saturday’s 2-0 FA Cup fourth-round defeat against Newcastle.
Silva believed that neither of Newcastle’s goals should have been allowed to stand. He contested that the opener, scored by Sean Longstaff, came after the ball struck Bruno Guimaraes’ arm, and he also felt that the corner from which Dan Burn scored in the second half should have been awarded as a goal-kick by referee Jarred Gillett.
As per current FA laws, goals should only be disallowed if the ball accidentally strikes the arm of the player who directly scores the goal, not if a handball occurs in the build-up to the goal.
Silva’s frustration was compounded by his team’s failure to capitalise on their chances, as they managed 14 shots but only hit the target twice.
Fulham conceded in each half, with defensive mishaps contributing to Newcastle’s goals. Kenny Tete and Bobby De Cordova-Reid got in each other’s way, allowing Longstaff to score, while Sven Botman was given a free header in the lead-up to Burn’s goal.
Silva said in his post-match reaction: “They scored with a handball and that is not something I can control. For me, it is handball. The decision from the referee was not in that direction.”
The Fulham boss then proceeded to storm out of the post-match press conference.