Eddie Howe will look back on his first Champions League campaign and agonise over the “if only” moments which cost Newcastle a place in the last 16.
The 46-year-old head coach steered the Magpies to within touching distance of the knockout stage only for their qualification hopes to be dashed by Wednesday night’s 2-1 home defeat by AC Milan, during which they were in pole position to progress when they led 1-0.
Instead of looking forward to the draw for the next round, Howe is instead preparing his injury-hit squad for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Fulham, with the controversial penalty decision which cost them victory at Paris St Germain and their failure to deal with the set-piece which led to Milan’s equaliser prominent in his thoughts.
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He said: “We were so close, so, so close while being really stretched with our resources, and that’s why I have to compliment the players on what they’ve given.
“It could have been very different and I just think we should take confidence from the fact that the hardest group, we were so close to achieving it.”
Newcastle secured a Champions League berth for the first time in 20 years courtesy of their fourth-place finish last season, an achievement which arrived barely 18 months into the tenure of their Saudi-backed owners and significantly ahead of schedule.
Asked if he had spoken to the ownership group and what had been said in the wake of Wednesday night’s disappointment, Howe replied: “ I think they see the work that goes on behind closed doors and they have close relationships with the players. We are like a family, we’re very close.
“That’s not just me with them, it’s everybody connected with the club. There’s just that feeling that they’re very supportive of the players and understanding of how much they’ve given. They can see the efforts on the pitch, and I think that’s the most important thing.
“That’s why I have no regrets over what the players have given over this Champions League campaign. I might have regrets over a couple of other things, but not at all over what the players have given. That’s always the biggest judgement for me.
“If you’re looking at it analytically, the players did incredibly well last year to finish where they did. It was miles ahead of schedule because, in pre-season, no one was talking about top four or Champions League football.
“You have to give the players a lot of credit, so what you can’t then do is give them a lot of credit and then hammer them at the same time because we couldn’t then follow that up.”
Howe did, however, admit that the exit from Europe could have financial implications for his January transfer budget.
He said: “Of course, going out of Europe will have repercussions financially for us because we’re going to lose revenue on games that we could have had, but that’s all been budgeted for and we’ll see where we stand.”
Influential full-back Kieran Trippier will miss Saturday’s game through suspension, while midfielder Joe Willock and striker Harvey Barnes, who has suffered a setback in his recovery from a toe injury, are unlikely to figure before the turn of the year.
Rebecca Welch’s historic appointment to officiate a Premier League match has been welcomed by Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.
The 40-year-old Welch will become the first female referee in top-flight history when she takes charge of the Fulham v Burnley match on December 23.
Welch was also fourth official for the Cottagers’ home game against Manchester United last month.
Howe applauded the decision to appoint Welch and said: “I think it’s a great moment.
“For me, it’s got to be based on ability, not gender, ability to referee and I fully support it.”
Sam Allison will become the first black man to referee a top-flight match in 15 years when he takes charge of the Sheffield United v Luton game on Boxing Day.
Kick It Out also welcomed the news of Welch and Allison’s appointments.
“Referees up and down the land are waking up this morning and thinking there are no barriers to get to the top,” the anti-discrimination charity posted on X.
“Visibility matters. Well done to @FA_PGMOL and organisations like @BAMERef for helping to create those journeys. There are many more inspirational stories to be told.”
Eddie Howe is dreaming of a “magical European night” as Newcastle attempt to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Head coach Howe will go into Wednesday night’s must-win clash with AC Milan at St James’ Park with back-up keeper Martin Dubravka having emerged as yet another selection doubt, but knowing that a win over the Serie A giants could be enough for the Magpies to extend their stay at Europe’s top table.
While injury-plagued Newcastle’s fate it not in their own hands – even victory would mean they would slip into the Europa League should Paris St Germain win at Borussia Dortmund, while defeat would see them finish bottom of Group F – the man who guided them into the competition for the first time in 20 years is allowing himself to hope.
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Asked how much he had enjoyed the competition, Howe said: “I’ve really enjoyed the Champions League. My only frustration is that we have not had the freedom to attack the competition as we would have liked to have done (because of injuries).
“That’s my only feeling that I’m left with that is negative.
“The tournament itself is special, the places we have been are incredible, the stadiums, the atmospheres and the experiences we have had at home have all been memorable.
“We have one more game to go and we have to make this as memorable as possible.
“My message to the fans is to make this a magical European night. They can only do so much, we have to do our bit to make it that.”
Since the competition got under way in September, Howe’s plans have been radically altered by circumstances beyond his control with Sandro Tonali’s 10-month suspension and a series of injuries which is only just starting to abate having severely reduced his options.
Slovakia international Dubravka has started the last two league games in place of Nick Pope, who dislocated his shoulder during the 1-0 win over Manchester United on December 2, but his absence from training on Tuesday morning could prove significant with Loris Karius, who played in the Champions League final for Liverpool in May 2018, standing by.
Asked if the 34-year-old would be fit, a coy Howe said: “That is slightly unclear.”
On a brighter note, striker Callum Wilson and midfielder Sean Longstaff both returned from injury as substitutes at Tottenham on Sunday and Wilson, who damaged a hamstring during the 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund on November 7, in particular is desperate to make up for lost time.
The 31-year-old England frontman is yet to score in the competition, but is convinced there is a reason for that.
Wilson said: “I personally believe it hasn’t come yet because it’s waiting for a special moment to happen, and what a story it would be if it’s the winning goal tomorrow night.
“We will leave blood, sweat and tears out there. It’s what we do every time we step over the white line and for us as a football club, it’s about having no regrets.
“We have an opportunity in front of us and all we can do is focus on Milan.”
Eddie Howe has vowed to turnaround Newcastle’s poor away form after defeat at Tottenham, but backed his injury-hit team to bounce back in Wednesday’s Champions League clash with AC Milan.
Howe was able to welcome back Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson into his matchday squad on Sunday, although remained without 10 first-teamers for the 4-1 loss in north London.
It made it five defeats in eight away Premier League matches this season, but there is little time for Newcastle to lick their wounds with a must-win clash against AC Milan in midweek.
Magpies chief Howe acknowledged: “It is up to us to find the answers to that. Yeah, I can’t defend it, I can’t defend it so I won’t.
“We will have to (lift ourselves for Wednesday).
“Football is a game decided on big moments and we haven’t been right in those big moments in the last two matches.
“Previous to that, we have been and I think our away form will turn because we’re a very good team, but we need to continue with our good home form because it’s the bedrock of what we’ve been doing. We don’t want anything to affect that.”
Howe has played the same 10 outfield players in each of the last five matches and defended his decision to name an unchanged team after Thursday’s loss at Everton.
He was able to introduce Longstaff (foot) and Wilson (thigh) for the final 30 minutes of the defeat to Tottenham and admitted he is hopeful of getting more players back in the coming weeks.
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“If I make changes, I want to make changes that benefit the team. Everyone I picked wanted to play, felt able to play and had no issues, but of course I understand the backlog and fatigue that can build,” Howe added.
“We can’t afford any more injuries to the players we have fit. We need more players back so hopefully that will be the case over the next few weeks.”
England forward Wilson did survive a poor challenge by Spurs defender Cristian Romero on the 80-minute mark, but Howe side-stepped talk of whether it could have been a red card.
Howe admitted: “I only saw it live. I don’t want to see players sent off, unless it is dangerous.
“It looked high and looked reckless and I am very pleased Callum seemed to not be affected by it.”
While Newcastle were left to reflect on back-to-back defeats, Tottenham toasted a first victory in six matches.
There could be more disruption on the horizon though with managerless Swansea expected to step up their pursuit of Ange Postecoglou’s number two Chris Davies this week.
But Postecoglou insisted: “Ah mate, I have not thought about that, not for an instance. I doubt Chris has as well.
“We will deal with that when the time comes. This is the Premier League and if you’re not in it 100 per cent, if you slip a little bit, you will pay a price and our focus has firmly been on a strong performance and getting a result.”
Ange Postecoglou admits he owes Newcastle boss Eddie Howe a thank you for his unintended role in his journey to Tottenham.
Sunday will see Postecoglou and Howe go head-to-head for the first time, but back in the summer of 2021 they were the talk of Glasgow.
Howe was widely expected to take the vacant Celtic role only to turn it down following prolonged negotiations, which resulted in Postecoglou getting the nod.
The Australian never looked back and after he won five trophies during his two-year stay in Scotland, it convinced Spurs to give the 58-year-old his first opportunity to be a Premier League manager.
“Oh absolutely, sliding doors moment,” Postecoglou acknowledged.
“There’s probably been no bigger decision in me being here today than Eddie knocking back the Celtic job.
“I haven’t thanked him, I probably should.”
Postecoglou quickly took the Premier League by storm upon his arrival and guided Tottenham to the top flight summit in October, but the past six weeks has produced a five-match winless run and a growing list of absentees.
But the experienced coach is not in the mood to panic, he insisted: “The pressure is the pressure, you know.
“It’s always there, it’s how you kind of treat it and I’ve never let it sort of guide my path or my way forward.
“For me, I don’t have a three or five year plan up my sleeve that’s guaranteed for success. What I do have is a plan that I think will get us to where we need to be.
“How long that takes? I don’t know. It depends on how we keep disciplined in staying and sticking (to) the path.
“It’s how focused you are and how committed you are to go on the path you’ve started. I’m unwavering with that, I just will not budge. I just think that’s what I believe is the best way forward.”
Injuries to Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have proved costly and while Spurs recently welcomed back Pape Sarr and Richarlison, they remain without eight first-teamers for Sunday’s match.
Newcastle boast an equally large number of players on the treatment table, which has opened the door for 17-year-old Lewis Miley, who has impressed over the past month.
Postecoglou has several of his own academy graduates involved in the squad right now and admitted he could turn to Tottenham Under-21 playmaker Jamie Donley, 18, if they continue to struggle for goals.
“It’s fair to say Newcastle are probably the only other club who have gone through anything like we have from an injury perspective. That’s going to affect every club, but I think they’ve battled through it reasonable well, very well in fact,” Postecoglou added.
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“Players have an opportunity every day to show what they can do and give me food for thought in terms of selection.
“If I’m not doing it, there’s a reason why I’m not doing it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t change for next week or the week after.
“Certainly Jamie, I think he’s developing. It’s benefitted him training with us regularly now.
“He’s a permanent fixture in here and within that context I think our next few games, if he keeps developing the way he is, he’ll get an opportunity in a game as well.”
Kieran Trippier will not allow a nightmare evening at Everton to derail Newcastle’s season as they attempt to cure their bout of travel sickness.
The 33-year-old England full-back has been one of the stars of the Magpies resurgence since his arrival at St James’ Park in January last year, but two errors in quick succession at Goodison Park on Thursday evening handed first Dwight McNeil and then Abdoulaye Doucoure the chance to score as the Toffees surged to a 3-0 victory.
Eddie Howe’s injury-hit squad head for Trippier’s former club Tottenham on Sunday desperate for a response, and the hugely experienced defender is confident he can put a dark night firmly behind him.
He said: “I don’t hide. We’ve just got to move on now, we’ve got another big game in three days.
“Listen, it’s one of those where you’ve made mistakes. Players make mistakes – I’ve made a couple today, I hold my hands up, I take responsibility and now it’s about getting on the bike again and getting ready for another big game in three days against Spurs.
“For me personally, obviously I’m very disappointed because of my own actions in certain moments in the game, but that’s something I’ll deal with. I’m an experienced player and I can handle these things.
“But the best thing about it is there’s a game in three days where we can try to put it right.
“It’s another tough test, like every single game in the Premier League, but we can’t dwell on this result and like I said, we need to get on the bike and go again.”
Newcastle will head for north London having lost five of their 15 Premier League games this season, the same number as they did during the whole of the last campaign.
Four of those five defeats have come away from Tyneside – at Manchester City, Brighton, Bournemouth and Everton – with a remarkable 8-0 win at Sheffield United and 2-2 draws at West Ham and Wolves all they have to show for their efforts on the road.
There are mitigating factors – Howe had 12 senior players unavailable on Merseyside – but the head coach remains at a loss to explain the disparity in his team’s home and away performances.
He said: “That’s been the frustration for us because it’s a difficult one to work out. We want to play the same way, we want to impose ourselves on the game, grab the game and take the initiative.
“I don’t think we did that well enough against Everton. Hopefully that will change against Tottenham.”
Howe is hopeful of avoiding another addition to his lengthy casualty list after skipper Jamaal Lascelles limped off at Everton with a dead leg.
Eddie Howe has backed Martin Dubravka to plug the sizeable gap left by Nick Pope as Newcastle’s first-choice goalkeeper faces up to four months on the sidelines.
Magpies head coach Howe’s worst fears over the shoulder injury which Pope suffered during Saturday night’s 1-0 Premier League win over Manchester United have been confirmed, with the 31-year-old due to undergo surgery which will sideline him for four months and leave him in a race against time to make England’s Euro 2024 squad.
However, the £10million man’s misfortune – he dislocated his left shoulder as he dived in an attempt to save a Sergio Reguilon shot – will open the door for his deputies Dubravka, Loris Karius and Mark Gillespie with the Slovakia international, who came off the bench at the weekend, the man first in line to replace him starting at Everton on Thursday evening.
Howe said: “We really believe in Martin and I’ve always had that high opinion of him.
“Yes, we brought in Nick – we wanted to build competition for places, we wanted to build a squad that we felt could really carry us to great success – but Martin is a high-class goalkeeper.
“He’s a brilliant shot-stopper himself, he’s very good with his feet and his distribution, so no hesitation about bringing Martin into the team and I hope he does really well.”
Newcastle have been linked with a move for former Manchester United keeper David de Gea in recent days, but Howe insisted no approaches have been made.
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He said: “We have not made any inquiries or any decisions about our recruitment leading into January.
“This is a chance for the goalkeepers we have at the football club to consolidate their positions, and that will be the same for every other position at the club.”
Howe had earlier confirmed that Pope is awaiting a final decision on the way forward, but that surgery was inevitable.
He said: “We anticipate he’ll be operated on – there’s no doubt he needs an operation – so he will be out for a period of time.
“The operation hasn’t happened yet, but we’re thinking roughly around four months, so it’s a big blow to us, but one that we expected after the game.
“He’s naturally down because at this stage of the season where we have so many games, huge games coming up – he’s got, obviously, the Euros ahead of him as well, which he was determined to try to be involved in, and there’s still chance of that for him.
“But I think his main determination is to come back for us, and you never know what situation we’ll be in at that stage of the season, so it could be a lot worse for him.”
Eddie Howe is confident there is more to come from Anthony Gordon as he attempts to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s England squad for next summer’s Euro 2024 finals.
The 22-year-old, a £45million signing from Everton in January, scored for the fourth successive Premier League game at St James’ Park to secure a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday night to further enhance his blossoming reputation.
Howe has studiously avoided pressing Gordon’s case for a senior international call-up, but knows further improvement will inevitably catapult him into Southgate’s thinking.
Asked how much more there is to come from the youngster, Howe said: “I think there is a lot more to come, but I would say that, that’s always been my mentality to players, especially if they want to improve.
“Anthony has got this desire to get better every day. Every day he steps on to the training pitch, he’s wanting to do extra. We have to sometimes take him off the pitch ourselves when we feel he’s done enough.
“But he’s got a burning motivation to be the best that he’s capable of becoming and we’re loving working with him.
“There’s an openness in him, he is inquisitive, he wants to ask questions, he wants to start that dialogue and debate his game which is great from our perspective.”
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Gordon’s 55th-minute intervention proved decisive on the night as he timed his run to meet Kieran Trippier’s inviting cross and slot past keeper Andre Onana.
He also scored the winner against Arsenal on November and registered against both Crystal Palace and Chelsea to underline his rich vein of form.
Asked if his consistent level of performance put him in contention for England’s Euros campaign, Howe said: “I’d agree that he’s playing at a very, very high level and he has done this season. When you’ve come here to watch Anthony, that’s been his level.
“He is getting the goals and you need the headlines if you are going to force your way into the England squad with the competition that he has in those positions.
“There’s a long way to go to that squad and he’s just got to keep very level and focused on playing so well for us, and hopefully the rest will take care of itself.”
The only sour note for Newcastle was an injury to keeper Nick Pope, who is to see a specialist after dislocating his left shoulder late in the game.
Howe said: “That’s the disappointment of the night. Nick looks like he’s dislocated his shoulder. It was such a strange thing, really, because he has made that dive thousands of times, but it looks like the arm has kept going maybe on the moist floor and his shoulder has come out of joint.
“We’re going to have to seek specialist opinion and see what happens, but it doesn’t look good for him.”
Eddie Howe saluted one of Newcastle’s best performances of the season after watching them beat Manchester United to end a gruelling week on a high.
Four days after suffering late heartache in a 1-1 Champions League draw with Paris St Germain, having dispatched Premier League rivals Chelsea 4-1 before heading for France, the Magpies secured a 1-0 league victory over the men from Old Trafford at St James’ Park.
Asked if that represented the perfect ending to a testing week, head coach Howe said: “Yes it is. I think that’s one of our best performances of the season, for me.
“I thought we were very, very good on and off the ball and when you consider the week we’ve had and the difficult games we’ve had, the end of the game in Paris, what a response from the group of players.”
Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute strike from Kieran Trippier’s cross ultimately secured the points on a night when Newcastle largely dominated without reward until his intervention.
Having been robbed of victory by a contentious stoppage-time penalty in Paris, they were spared further pain when Harry Maguire inadvertently turned Antony’s shot past substitute goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, but from an offside position.
Gordon has now scored in each of his last four league games on Tyneside and taken his tally for the season to six goals to reap the rewards of his hard work on the training pitch.
Howe said: “He himself has really worked on that.
“I’m really pleased because I thought he played really well at the start of the season, but every attacker needs to score, needs to have that feeling and that confidence that that brings.
“It elevates your game, not just the goals, but he’s getting assists as well. He’s involved in match-winning moments.
“I thought he played really well again today. It was a really good cross from Kieran, a good team move and a good finish.”
The only disappointment for Howe was that goalkeeper Nick Pope, who has played such a key role in the club’s recent success, suffered a dislocated shoulder late in the game and may now need surgery.
Asked how long he might be sidelined, the 46-year-old said: “It’s too early to say. He was in pain when the shoulder was out of its joint. It’s been put back in now and he feels much more comfortable.
“We’ll seek specialist opinion, but it doesn’t look good.”
It proved a difficult night for the visitors, who have now lost to the Magpies in their last three encounters and rarely looked like avoiding that fate until a late flurry.
Manager Erik ten Hag said: “Today we have to say ‘credit to Newcastle’. After the start, where we could have scored with (Alejandro) Garnacho, they were better than us, they were more proactive.
“We had to go back, we had to defend and we did that. We allowed them one goal, but at the end, we fought back, we had two good opportunities, but unluckily we could not take a point from here.”
England international Marcus Rashford in particular cut a frustrated figure and was replaced by Rasmus Hojlund with 29 minutes remaining.
Asked about Rashford’s form, Ten Hag said: “He works hard and he is investing a lot. He will get back, he will recover and he’s got all our support.”
Mauricio Pochettino likened his role at Chelsea to that of a university professor as he seeks to install a more robust mentality in an inexperienced squad.
The team suffered a second-half collapse to go down 4-1 at injury-hit Newcastle last weekend, bringing an abrupt end to their recent run of impressive results.
With an average age of just over 23, Chelsea have the youngest squad in this season’s Premier League, though expectation has been driven sky-high by co-owner Todd Boehly spending more than £1billion during the last 18 months.
That investment had looked finally to be paying dividends after recent results which included a 4-1 victory away at previously unbeaten Tottenham and thrilling home draws against last season’s top two, Arsenal and Manchester City.
But at St. James’ Park they were routed by Eddie Howe’s side, losing captain Reece James to a second-half red card as the hosts scored three times in 23 minutes to inflict a second loss in seven games.
Ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Brighton at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino emphasised his role as mentor in helping his players come of age.
“You need to approach like you’re a professor of a university,” he said. “Sometimes you need to accept it’s not bad intention (from the players).
“Sometime they can’t perform because they didn’t understand our message, so we have to analyse ourselves to explain in a different way.
“They need to learn. On the pitch they need to make decisions for themselves. It’s a process.
“Of course I trust in the club, the players, the squad. It’s only a matter of time.”
The Newcastle loss was marked by an uncharacteristically poor performance from veteran defender Thiago Silva, whose costly error allowed Joelinton to make it 3-1 and effectively kill the game.
Pochettino defended the 39-year-old and insisted on the importance to a young squad of a player with almost 900 professional appearances for club and country.
“The more experienced players can deal better with pressure and with mistakes,” he said. “With (Silva’s) experience, he can deal with mistakes.
“That’s a help because it’s one player less to manage, we can focus more on the younger players. That’s how he’s helping us.”
Pochettino added that the week since the defeat on Tyneside has been spent analysing why the team capitulated so readily in the face of Newcastle’s pressure.
“It’s like when you go to the doctor because you have some pain in your body,” he said. “First of all, the doctor needs to do some analysis, then to detect the problem, then to give the solution, the medicine.
“It’s the same. It’s to identify why that happened. Then you attack the problem with a solution.
“It’s a young team that needs to be more mature and consistent. These ups and downs can happen. But now we need to realise why it happens in a young team, we need to emphasise different areas, to anticipate these type of situations in future.”
Anthony Gordon’s sixth goal of the season handed Newcastle a sixth-successive Premier League victory at St James’ Park as Manchester United became their latest victims.
The Magpies, who returned from Paris St Germain in midweek bitterly disappointed with a 1-1 Champions League draw, dominated for all but the final few minutes and perhaps should have secured the points in more emphatic fashion with Kieran Trippier seeing a first-half free-kick come back off the crossbar.
However, Gordon’s 55th-minute finish – the fourth-successive home league game in which he has scored – proved sufficient to clinch a 1-0 win and send Eddie Howe’s side above the Red Devils in the table, although his joy was tempered by a potentially-serious injury to goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Manchester United, who had thrown away a 3-1 lead at Galatasaray to draw 3-3 on Wednesday evening, created little of note – they saw a late goal ruled out after Antony’s shot had clipped Harry Maguire in an offside position – as their run of five wins in six league games came to an end in front of a crowd of 52,214.
Under-fire goalkeeper Andre Onana and Diogo Dalot got themselves in a tangle as they attempted to deal with a Gordon cross, although opposite number Pope had to repel Alejandro Garnacho’s 11th-minute attempt with a well-placed foot after Bruno Fernandes’ superb pass had played him in behind Trippier.
Garnacho became an increasing threat down the Magpies’ right as Manchester United started to impose themselves, but Luke Shaw had to block Alexander Isak’s 15th-minute effort after Trippier had fizzed the ball into his feet inside the penalty area.
Onana saved from Miguel Almiron following a neat one-two between Joelinton and Trippier, while Guimaraes smashed an 18th-minute shot over from distance after Tino Livramento had surged forward down the left and cut the ball back.
The visitors were creaking and Maguire had to be in the right place at the right time to deflect Isak’s goal-bound effort wide before Jamaal Lascelles headed over from the resulting corner.
Playmaker Fernandes did his best to drag Erik ten Hag’s men into the game, but too often the men ahead of him were not equal to the task and they continued to look less than certain at the back with Isak firing wide 12 minutes before the break after Aaron Wan-Bissaka had headed Fabian Schar’s long ball straight to him.
Almiron curled an attempt over the angle of post and crossbar after cutting inside Dalot from Trippier’s through-ball, but Onana enjoyed the kind of fortune which has eluded him in recent weeks when Trippier rattled the crossbar with a 39th-minute free-kick after Maguire had felled Schar 25 yards out.
Livramento, whose scything run led to Isak’s goal at Paris St Germain, almost repeated the dose two minutes after the restart when he set up Almiron, but saw the Paraguay international’s shot half-blocked to allow Onana to save comfortably.
The keeper was finally beaten seconds later when Guimaraes rolled the ball into Trippier’s path and he crossed low to the far post for Gordon to score.
Schar whistled a shot from distance a foot over Onana’s crossbar as the home side looked to kill the game off, and Ten Hag responded by replacing Marcus Rashford and Martial with Antony and Rasmus Hojlund.
Antony added vigour to a side in desperate need of inspiration, but to little real effect and Wan-Bissaka survived penalty appeals for handball after blocking Lewis Miley’s shot with 12 minutes remaining.
Schar had to throw his body into the path of Sergio Reguilon’s well-struck 82nd-minute volley, although Pope’s evening ended in agony as he was led from the pitch having suffered an injury as he dived in anticipation behind the defender.
Replacement Martin Dubravka was beaten with two minutes of normal time left on the clock, but an offside flag came to the tiring Magpies’ rescue and they safely negotiated nine minutes of stoppage-time to claim victory.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has warned more VAR would “ruin” football after finding himself on the wrong end of a controversial decision.
Football’s lawmakers are considering options to extend the system’s use at the same time as a debate over its effectiveness in its current form rages on.
The Magpies were denied a Champions League victory at Paris St Germain on Tuesday after Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was asked to review a decision not to award a penalty for handball against Tino Livramento by VAR official Thomas Kwiatkowski and changed his mind to allow Kylian Mbappe to level in stoppage time.
Asked if he would like to see more or less VAR, head coach Howe said: “I’d like to see less VAR.
“I don’t have an issue with offsides because that is as close as it can be to being right, whether you agree with the decision, the lines give you a black and white yes or no. The rest, I’m not in favour.
“I still think it’s just another person’s opinion against another person’s opinion. It’s very subjective. I’d like to see less. I definitely wouldn’t want to see more because I think it would ruin the game.”
Kwiatkowski had been due to oversee Wednesday night’s Real Sociedad versus Red Bull Salzburg game in the same competition, but was stood down, a decision which brought Howe, who revealed the club have contacted UEFA to seek clarity over the penalty award, little comfort.
He said: “That for me, with VAR is an issue – not enough power is given to the on-field decision, which in this case was correct.
“I still believe – I’m old-fashioned in this – that the on-field decision should be given a little bit more strength because the referee is there, he’s feeling the game, he’s managing the game in the middle and I think that is worth something.”
Howe’s comments came as he prepared his players for Saturday evening’s Premier League clash with Manchester United at St James’ Park still contemplating a lengthy injury list, but with no new additions after an attritional night at the Parc des Princes and with hopes high that midfielders Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff will be sidelined for weeks rather than months.
Newcastle have lost just one of their last five encounters in all competitions with the Red Devils, who also suffered Champions League disappointment 24 hours later when they squandered a 3-1 lead at Galatasaray to draw 3-3, although Erik ten Hag’s side have won five of their last six league games.
Asked if he and his players could use their burning sense of injustice from Paris as added motivation, Howe said: “I always want that sense that we are against everybody outside of Newcastle when we play. I think that helps us.
“That is a good mentality to have, that we are competing against everybody else. It’s certainly served us well to this point and if it helps any individual players, then great.”
The VAR official involved in the decision to award Paris St Germain a controversial last-gasp penalty to salvage a Champions League draw against Newcastle has been stood down from duty on Wednesday night.
The PA news agency understands Thomas Kwiatkowski will no longer be among the officials selected to oversee the Real Sociedad v Red Bull Salzburg match at the Anoeta Stadium.
Newcastle were within a few minutes of stoppage time of a famous victory at the Parc des Princes when a questionable handball decision against Tino Livramento handed Kylian Mbappe the chance to snatch a point, and it was one he took with some aplomb.
Asked if he felt a sense of injustice, Magpies boss Eddie Howe replied: “Yes, I do. It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion.
“There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first. It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down, looks completely different to the live event.
“The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, they (his hands) are down by his side, but he is in a running motion.
“I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game. There is nothing we can do about it now.”
The VAR official involved in the decision to award Paris St Germain a controversial last-gasp penalty to salvage a Champions League draw against Newcastle has been stood down from duty on Wednesday night.
The PA news agency understands Thomas Kwiatkowski will no longer be among the officials selected to oversee the Real Sociedad v Red Bull Salzburg match at the Anoeta Stadium.
Newcastle were within a few minutes of stoppage time of a famous victory at the Parc des Princes when a questionable handball decision against Tino Livramento handed Kylian Mbappe the chance to snatch a point, and it was one he took with some aplomb.
Asked if he felt a sense of injustice, Magpies boss Eddie Howe replied: “Yes, I do. It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion.
“There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first. It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down, looks completely different to the live event.
“The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, they (his hands) are down by his side, but he is in a running motion.
“I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game. There is nothing we can do about it now.”
Kieran Trippier cannot understand why the penalty which denied Newcastle a famous Champions League victory at Paris St Germain was given.
The 33-year-old England international was incredulous when Polish referee Szymon Marcimiak pointed to the spot after being asked to review an incident in which Timo Livramento blocked Ousmane Dembele’s cross deep into stoppage time and saw the ball ricochet off his chest onto the underside of his arm.
Kylian Mbappe scored from the spot with just seconds remaining to cancel out Alexander Isak’s first-half opener and snatch two priceless points from the Magpies’ grasp.
Trippier said: “It is disappointing, but we have to move on. I just try to enjoy football, but I am tired of discussing these matters, whether good or bad.
“Nothing can change it. The referee had the chance to go to the monitor, which he did, so I don’t understand it. From my point of view, it has come off his chest and onto his arm.
“I don’t understand what his decision was, even after the game. We tried to ask him. But we just have to move on and take it on the chin.”
Livramento, who turned in a fine individual display, was understandably distraught at the outcome, but his team-mates swiftly rallied around him.
“Tino is fine,” Trippier said of the 21-year-old. “He is a strong kid who had an unbelievable game again.
“It is one of those where everybody knows it wasn’t a penalty. Of course it is disappointing because it was him in that moment. We said, ‘Listen it wasn’t a penalty, so get it out of your head’.”
Newcastle travelled to Paris once again without a host of key players through injury, but produced their best away performance of the competition to date.
In the cold light of day, a point represents a creditable return no matter the context, and they will host AC Milan at St James’ Park on December 13 knowing a win would take them through to the last 16 provided PSG do not beat Borussia Dortmund – who have already qualified – in Germany the same night.
“There are so many positives still to take,” Trippier said. “We didn’t make one sub so it was 11 v 16. The lads have given absolutely everything.
“We all just have to keep stepping up and giving everything for the team.”
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