Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe feels sense of injustice over controversial PSG penalty

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe was left frustrated by the "poor" penalty decision given against his side in the dying moments of their 1-1 draw with Paris St Germain.

Alexander Isak's first-half strike had the Magpies just minutes away from a famous win at the Parc des Princes despite facing a second-half onslaught before Tino Livramento was controversially adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty box.

There was little the defender could do as the ball bounced off his side and onto his elbow at close range but referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot after a VAR check.

The penalty was emphatically despatched by PSG talisman Kylian Mbappe, snatching the three points from Newcastle in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

Howe said he felt a sense of injustice about the decision in his post-match press conference with so little time left for his side to see out.

"It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion," Howe explained. “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 late equaliser means the Magpies are no longer in control of their Champions League destiny but despite the disappointment, there were still some positives for Howe's side to take.

The point means Newcastle can still qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time in the club's history if they beat AC Milan in their final group game and PSG fail to win against Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

Avoiding defeat at St James' Park would be enough to secure qualification to the Europa League knockout rounds as a minimum.

That fact was not lost on Howe as he admitted his side's focus would soon turn towards trying to seize the opportunity once the disappointment had worn off.

“Yes, I think that’s absolutely right," Howe said when asked if the situation was one to cling on to. "In the next couple of days, that will become more relevant in our thoughts, I think.

“When the draw came out, it was the ‘group of death’ and I don’t think many people gave us a chance of qualifying from it and sitting here now, I’m a little bit frustrated that it’s not in our hands because when I look back at the two Dortmund games, I felt we could have done better in those matches.

“I don’t think it’s the time for that, I think it’s probably a time to be positive and to say that if we can beat Milan, then good things can happen from it.”

Newcastle will face Milan on 13 December at St James' Park with their hopes of playing in European football after Christmas hinging on the result.

In the meantime, the club face the challenge of Premier League encounters with Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham as Howe's injury-hit squad is pushed to the limit.

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