Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe was adamant that his side were denied a clear penalty following Saturday’s draw with Chelsea at St. James’ Park.
Nick Woltemade gave the Magpies a two-goal with a first-half brace to make up for his own goal in the Tyne-Wear Derby defeat to Sunderland last weekend.
But the Blues hit back in the second half, first through a curling free kick from Reece James and a brilliant solo goal from Joao Pedro to rescue a point on the road.
“Difficult because we played so well today,” Howe told BBC Match of the Day. “An outstanding performance, especially in the first half. Devastated for the lads that we didn’t get the win.
“[The first half] was a reminder of how good we can be. Athletically so good, and the press was excellent for us too, and we were a real threat. It’s further evidence that we are improving. We need more of that.”
Newcastle have now lost 13 points from winning positions this season, the joint-most in the Premier League.
“It’s painful for us because we have been in this position before,” Howe added. “All we can do is learn from these experiences and try to improve. If we had those points back, we would have been in a different position.”
Shortly after Chelsea’s first goal, Anthony Gordon was barged over the endline by Trevoh Chalobah in the box, but referee Andy Madley waved away calls for a penalty before his decision was confirmed by VAR.
“I thought it was stonewall penalty and the defender went into it with too much aggression,” Howe insisted. “Anywhere else on the pitch, that’s a free kick. So, really disappointed that wasn’t given.”
Asked by TNT Sports if he accepted that the challenge was not a foul due to being shoulder to shoulder, the Newcastle boss responded: “No, because it’s not. The defender was only looking at Anthony and not the ball. I think it’s too aggressive.”
Howe added:Â “My opinion, yes. I think it’s a clear penalty. Anywhere else on the pitch, that’s a free-kick. The player has gone into Anthony aggressively. Too aggressively in my opinion. So I think it was stonewall.”
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