6 Things We Learned From Everton's Draw With Newcastle United

After what turned out to be a very entertaining game, Newcastle United can be thankful for an excellent performance by their Senegalese striker Demba Ba, and a not so excellent performance by a particular referee's assistant for helping them rescue a point. The game, which started with an embarrassingly poor first half by the Magpies burst into life in the second half, after Leighton Baines' fine goal had taken the Toffees into the break with a 1-0 lead, with two goals from substitute Ba, either side of one from Victor Anichebe that looked to have given Everton a last gasp winner. But ultimately Ba's injury time goal, taken well from a sublime chest touch-on by late sub Shola Ameobi, robbed Everton of their victory, and left the Toffees ruing two terrible decisions by the assistant referee who appeared to rule out a goal for offside wrongly, and then failed to award one that crossed the line from Anichebe. So, what else did we learn from this entertaining, and sometimes controversial game between Everton and Newcastle?

1. Goal Line Technology Has Been On The Agenda Too Long

Once again we find ourselves debating goal line technology after human error cost a team a perfectly reasonable goal, and it's getting to be frustrating. Victor Anichebe should have had two goals by rights, after his header crossed the line from Steve Harper's exceptional, but ultimately unsuccessful close range save. The fact that the linesman on the near side was unsighted, which led to the wrong call, should be used as further evidence that the technology should be brought in to fill the gap created by human error and human limitations. Even the presence of a goal-line referee's assistant would have confirmed that the whole of the ball crossed the line, and there would plainly be no delay in the decision which ever option was ultimately picked, if the speed of the TV replays is any indication. These sort of errors have no place in modern sport, when cricket and tennis have their own non-interfering technology to aid refereeing decisions, and the sooner FIFA and UEFA drop the arrogant opinion that the technology would undermine referees and somehow interfere with their influence the better.