Newcastle United must bounce back quickly after suffering their first defeat of the season in dramatic circumstances at Anfield. Fabio Carvalho struck in the 98th minute to seal a 2-1 victory for Liverpool on Wednesday night.
A much-changed Magpies lineup took the lead through an emphatic debut goal from Alexander Isak. The record signing had a second strike chalked off for offside, and Carvalho's stoppage-time strike settled the contest after Roberto Firmino's equaliser just after the hour mark.
Tensions spilled over between the dugouts following hard-fought encounter, and United fans were left aggrieved by the decision to play beyond the initial estimate of five added minutes. It was not the first call to have left the Toon Army frustrated just weeks into the new campaign.
READ MORE: Alexander Isak's instant response to Eddie Howe's uncharacteristic Newcastle United decision
The Magpies lodged a complaint with the Premier League last year over several controversial calls over the festive period, with Eddie Howe describing the league's response as an 'enjoyable read'. The standards of top-flight officiating and VAR have been the subject of sustained scrutiny in recent seasons, and here are six decisions which have gone against Newcastle so far this season.
August 13 - Brighton 0-0 Newcastle (Wilson's disallowed goal)
Newcastle followed up a comfortable opening-day victory over Nottingham Forest with a battling point at Brighton. Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier both made goalline clearances, while Nick Pope pulled off another of key stops.
The visitors did not fashion many openings at the Amex Stadium, but Callum Wilson did put the ball in the net in the first half. The striker was penalised for a high boot in the build-up, and the whistle was blown by Graham Scott before the number nine applied the finish.
Brighton's defence and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez did stop following the whistle, meaning there was no guarantee Wilson would have scored. However, the striker would go on to outline his frustration with the referee for not allowing play to continue before making a decision with the assistance of VAR.
August 21 - Newcastle 3-3 Man City (Schar penalty appeal)
Eddie Howe's side went toe-to-toe with the reigning Premier League champions in an enthralling encounter at St James' Park. Newcastle came from behind to take a 3-1 lead, only for a quickfire double from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva to ensure the points were shared.
The Magpies did benefit from a VAR review in the second half, with an initial red card for Trippier for a foul on Kevin De Bruyne downgraded to a yellow card. However, United were arguably on the wrong side of an earlier call from referee Jarred Gillet which could have handed the hosts a golden opportunity to extend their surprise lead.
John Stones rose to contest a crossfield pass but collided with Fabian Schar in the area. Match of the Day pundit Jermain Defoe described the challenge as 'clumsy', while Magpies legend Alan Shearer was adamant it would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch.
August 24 - Tranmere 1-2 Newcastle (Hemmings yellow card)
Three days after earning plaudits for their home draw with City, Newcastle were given a serious scare in their Carabao Cup second-round tie at Tranmere Rovers. Howe named 10 changes to his starting lineup, and Chris Wood's first goal of the season earned a narrow 2-1 victory over their League Two opponents.
Tranmere adopted a physical approach against the visitors, and Emil Krafth will miss the remainder of the campaign after picking up an ACL injury. Goalscorer Elliott Nevitt could have seen red for a first-half elbow on Jamaal Lascelles, with the Magpies captain playing on with a suspected broken nose.
Kane Hemmings was then punished with just a yellow card for an ugly sliding challenge on Karl Darlow minutes before the break. The striker caught the Newcastle shot-stopper with his studs as he attempted to reach a loose ball, with fans questioning how a dangerous foul did not result in a straight red.
August 28 - Wolves 1-1 Newcastle (Longstaff's penalty appeal)
Allan Saint-Maximin's stunning late strike at Molineux prevented Newcastle from slipping to their first defeat of the season. The forward pounced on a stray clearance from Hwang Hee-chan and swept the ball past Jose Sa.
Ruben Neves' first-half thunderbolt looked to have put the hosts on course for their first win of the new campaign. The midfielder expressed his disappointment following the full-time whistle with referee Peter Bankes, as a VAR review decided not to punish Schar for a late challenge on Pedro Neto.
United themselves also had cause to be aggrieved with the officials as Matheu Nunes was not penalised for a clear shirt pull on Sean Longstaff in the first half. Joe Willock went on to miss a clearcut chance to open the scoring, but Shearer branded the decision not award a penalty to the visitors as 'awful'.
August 31 - Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle (Isak offside and Carvalho winner)
Isak was not cleared to make his United debut until just a few hours ahead of kick-off at Anfield. The Swedish striker made an immediate impact however, firing the Magpies in front with a stunning finish past Alisson.
Isak followed this goal up with another impressive finish, latching on to a pass in behind and sidestepping two challenges to beat the Liverpool goalkeeper once more. However, the 22-year-old was judged to be offside by the smallest of margins as proven by the VAR review. There was no clear daylight between Isak and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and it was the striker's shoulder which appeared to have cost him a second goal and the Magpies a two-goal lead.
This VAR decision was then compounded as Newcastle would go on to suffer a heartbreaking last-minute loss. Roberto Firmino levelled the contest around the hour mark, but Howe's side looked set to preserve their unbeaten run.
The officials announced a minimum of five minutes' added time to the Anfield crowd, during which Nick Pope required medical treatment. However, Andre Marriner's decision to play on until the 98th minute proved divisive among both fans and pundits. Carvalho struck with virtually the last kick of the game, and Howe would admit the goal at the death was a 'sickener' for his side.
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