Andy Carroll posts cheeky Instagram picture sympathising with Tottenham

Andy Carroll has taken to Instagram to sympathise with Tottenham after he won a last-minute penalty that saw Newcastle United walk away with an unlikely point on Sunday. 

The former England striker criticised the handball rule by posting a picture of stick man performing a ‘pencil jump’ on social media, claiming it was the ‘new rule for any aerial challenges’.

The jibe came after Carroll was awarded a penalty for a late header that struck the arm of Eric Dier, who was facing the other way, inside the penalty box at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the weekend.  

 Andy Carroll has taken to Instagram to sympathise with Tottenham over penalty decision

Carroll has says the controversial decision forces players to perform ‘pencil jumps’ in the air

VAR was called into action on the night and referee Peter Bankes was advised to review the incident on the pitchside monitor. 

After watching the incident several times, Bankes pointed to the spot and awarded Newcastle the controversial penalty that saw the game end 1-1. 

Football fans were quick to react to the decision, with the likes of Jamie Carragher blasting the decision to award Newcastle a last-minute penalty – calling it an ‘absolute disgrace’. 

Tottenham were looking to see out a 1-0 win before Carroll’s header hit off Eric Dier’s arm 

Gary Lineker took to Twitter to criticise the decision, saying: ‘Ludicrous. Utterly ludicrous law exacerbated by VAR. Can we have our game back please?’ 

While Spurs boss Jose Mourinho marched down the tunnel as soon as Bankes pointed to the spot. 

Angered by the late decision, Mourinho told BBC Sport after the game: ‘I don’t want to speak about it.

‘The only feeling I am ready to share is that I don’t feel Tottenham is respected according to to what the club is. No respect.’   

 Jamie Carragher blasted the decision to award a penalty, calling it an ‘absolute disgrace’

Jose Mourinho was also angered by the decision, storming down  the tunnel before full time

Carroll, who is known for his dominance in the air, continued to sympathise with Spurs in his Instagram, adding: ‘I feel your pain!’ 

As it stands Carroll holds the record for the most duels won in a single game after winning a total of 24 headers against Everton in 2019. 

Should contests in the air be negatively impacted by the handball rule, Carroll with lose an important part of his game.  

The 2020-21 campaign has already seen a handful of controversial calls relating to penalties awarded for handball – with some of those including the decision to penalise both Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof and Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward this season.  

The 2020-21 campaign has already seen a handful of controversial calls relating to penalties