Eddie Howe's take ...
“I’m still coming to terms with it, to be honest,” says Newcastle’s manager in an interview with TNT. “I feel really flat but at the same time very, very pleased with what the players have given today. As you can see, our squad is very thin and what the players gave today, their commitment their execution … yeah, we rode our luck at times but I think we deserved that and we sort of ran out of luck at the end because I didn’t think that was a penalty.”
Having confirmed his conclusion after being shown a replay: “The referee’s under pressure with every decision here with the crowd. People at home might not be aware of the pressure put on the referee by the crowd but it’s extreme and in the last seconds of the game he’s given them that.”
Alexander Isak speaks: “It was unfortunate for us to get a goal against us so late,” he tells TNT Sports. “I think we started defending our goal a bit too early. It’s never nice to concede a goal that late.
“My first reaction was it wasn’t [a penalty]. It seemed cheap. I haven’t seen a replay. Hopefully it was a penalty. We have to trust the referees.”
On Newcastle’s performance: “We are very proud of the team. It’s not an easy place to come because they haven’t lost for some time here. We almost got the win. It is unfortunate. We always want to win, but this point will be important. We have it all to play for.”
It will be interesting to see if Mr Isak’s take on the game is as measured once he sees a replay of that penalty decision.
