Howe admits he's "not allowed to" give true thoughts on Newcastle's VAR anger

28 November 2023 , 22:50

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Eddie Howe reflected on PSG's late penalty against Newcastle (Image: TNT Sport)

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has admitted he didn't think Paris Saint-Germain should have been awarded a last-gasp penalty and labelled the decision as "frustrating".

The Magpies took the lead in the first-half through Alexander Isak's strike and were closing in on a memorable away victory at Parc des Princes. However, after missing several clear-cut opportunities to level, PSG were awarded a penalty in stoppage-time in controversial circumstances.

After being advised by VAR to look at his pitch-side monitor, referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot as he felt Tino Livramento handled the ball inside the box. Replays showed that the ball struck Livramento's chest before colliding with his arm as Mbappe was handed a chance to equalise.

The France forward scored from the penalty spot to earn a 1-1 draw, with PSG now second in the group with seven points from five matches. Meanwhile, Newcastle move up to third as the Magpies' fate comes down to their final group game against AC Milan in two weeks' time.

After the match, Howe was quizzed on the decision. He told TNT Sports: "I'm still coming to terms with it to be honest, I'm very flat still. I’m very proud of the players, of what they achieved tonight and for what our squad is, it’s very, very thin, they were fantastic.

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"Yeah, we might’ve ridden our luck at times but I think we deserved that and it ran out at the end because I don’t think it was a penalty. What they’re clearly not taking into account is the pace of the ball - that ball is travelling so quickly live and it’s hit his chest first - that’s the main thing. Even if it hit his hands first, I still don’t think it’d be a penalty because of the close proximity but you could make more of a case.

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"That’s the frustrating thing - the pressure put on the referee by the crowd, which people at home might not be aware of - the pressure is incredible, it’s so extreme here and it’s the last seconds of the game and he’s given it."

(TNT Sport)

Ally McCoist replied: "I think you're being very respectful and fair play to you because I think that was a disgraceful decision. I don’t know how you feel for your players, they worked their socks off, and then to get robbed by that decision - when he comes over to look at it, I just for the life of me can’t get it."

Howe responded to McCoist and claimed he isn't "allowed" to give his honest reaction to the penalty. "Well I think you've summed it up there better than I could because I’m not allowed to," Howe added. "My inner thoughts are obviously… I share every thought that you have there. I think he [the referee] was having a really good game up until that point."

Kieran King