Newcastle boss Eddie Howe slams ‘POOR decision’ to award PSG the late penalty that denied his side a famous victory in Paris… as he suggests the referee wilted under the ‘extreme’ pressure from the home crowd
- PSG were awarded a controversial late penalty against Newcastle on Tuesday
- Eddie Howe was furious with the decision as his side failed to hold on to the win
- If Steve Cooper leaves, he will be fired with honor and given another top job. Just listen to why It all starts
Eddie Howe said he felt a sense of injustice and could not understand the awarding of an injury time penalty, which denied Newcastle a famous Champions League victory here in Paris.
Tino Livramento was penalized for a handball in the 98th minute when Polish referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot after a VAR review, and Kylian Mbappé scored to cancel out Alexander Isak’s first-half goal.
However, the ball had deflected off the defender’s chest before hitting his elbow, and according to UEFA guidelines to referees, this should not result in a penalty.
Isak called it ‘cheap’ and when Howe was asked if the referee had wronged him, the Newcastle boss said: ‘Yes, I do. In my opinion it was not the right decision.
‘What you don’t take into account during those repetitions is how fast the ball is going. It hits his chest first and then comes up and hits his hand. If the ball hits his hand first, it’s still no penalty because he’s so close. But you can make more of it.
Eddie Howe could not explain how a late penalty was awarded against his side on Tuesday
Tino Livramento was penalized for handball despite the ball hitting his chest first
‘It is not a penalty if the ball first hits his chest and then his hand, which is low. His hand is not in an unnatural position. He runs and they make a running motion. I think it’s a bad decision and it’s extremely frustrating for us because you know how little time is left.
‘I thought the referee played a good game so far. He had been strong. The pressure the crowd exerted on the referee was extreme.’
Newcastle finished second in the group 1-0, meaning a win over Milan in the final match would have guaranteed their place in the last 16. The draw made PSG second again.
Condemnation of the decision was widespread, with Ally McCoist calling it ‘a shame’.
“It comes off Tino Livramento’s chest and hits his elbow – that is absolutely never a penalty,” McCoist told TNT. ‘If we give a fine for that, it would be a shame. It borders on a robbery. If I was playing, I would get a real sense of injustice.”
Fellow pundit Jermaine Jenas, the former Newcastle midfielder, was equally furious.
“I think it’s a shock,” he said. ‘The referee played such a good match, but he really gave in. For that to happen, at that moment, after Newcastle have performed as they did, it doesn’t feel good. It’s a bitter pill to swallow.
‘What should Livramento do with his arms? Wrap them around his back? I’m smoking. The players gave it their all and it should have been one of those historic victories. Newcastle has been robbed.’
Referee Szymon Marciniak awarded the penalty and Howe believes he may have been influenced by the crowd, while Alan Shearer, Jermaine Jenas and Ally McCoist also disapproved of the decision.
Club legend Alan Shearer said on X: ‘Do me a favor man. What a load of shit.”
However, Howe was proud of his team’s performance.
“We will look at the positives of what the players gave today,” he said. ‘I couldn’t have asked for more. There were some huge performances and I’m so disappointed they couldn’t celebrate that moment of success. But we’re still in the league, we’re still fighting. When the draw was announced it was the Group of Death and I don’t think many people gave us a chance to qualify for that.”
Goalkeeper Nick Pope made seven saves and was his team’s man-of-the-match, and Howe said: “He was massive. They had chances and he made some fantastic saves. We always needed that kind of performance. We were so close.’