Alan Shearer responds to Aston Villa controversy in Newcastle defeat

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer and former England striker Alan Shearer said it was a "great decision" to rule out Ollie Watkins' goal for offside.

Watkins thought he had equalised for Steven Gerrard's side in the second half after Kieran Trippier had given the Magpies the lead in the opening 45 minutes.

But the goal was chalked off after a lengthy VAR review which capped off a frustrating afternoon for Villa who delivered a below-par performance.

BBC pundit Shearer, who is one of the finest strikers to have pulled on a Magpies shirt, rubbed further salt into the wounds as he waded into the Watkins debate on Twitter by insisting it was a "great decision."

Addressing Villa's performance after the game, Villa head coach Gerrard said: "We've come to the game too late! You can't come to games in the Premier League after 45 minutes. You can't be relying on one incident in the second half to say that you deserve something out of the game.

"We need to be creating more, be more dangerous.

"There's not many people who can be proud of their performance today, probably two or three who I thought were close to the level that's accepted. Even the subs coming to the game didn't bring much. Our set plays didn't look right. Across the board, we've got a lot to work on."

What did you think of the Watkins goal? Should it have stood? Let us know in the comments below.