Eddie Howe hits out at ‘baffling’ incident after explaining different Newcastle ‘reality’
Eddie Howe was baffled by the failure to award Newcastle United a penalty in their 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Newcastle suffered a comprehensive defeat to the champions, but the scoreline did not tell the full story. When the score was still 2-0, City goalkeeper Ederson took out Newcastle’s Ryan Fraser in the box.
It seemed like a clear penalty, but the referee did not award it and nor did VAR.
After, in the second half, City went on to control proceedings more after being given a helping hand by Newcastle’s poor defending in the first half.
But Howe will be wondering what might have been had his side been given a chance to get back in the game via the penalty decision.
Overall, he took some positives from the game, but knows there is much more work to do after he finishes reflecting on the key incident.
Howe told Match of the Day: “It is a really strange game because the result looks bleak for us. The reality of the game feels very different.
“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb with the goal we conceded and hugely disappointing.
“We conceded a poor second goal. There were some contentious moments; the Ryan Fraser incident was a baffling one and unsure how it is not a penalty. I am not too sure what happened with VAR and the referee. The goalkeeper wipes out Ryan and it is a stonewaller, a clear penalty.”
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The Magpies boss continued: “To stand here and say I am pleased with the players, we got some things in the game right after three big defeats in a row but we have to look at the quality of the opposition.
“There was a good feeling about the team, a good structure and good moments in the match. We are heading in the right direction but a long way to go.
“We are without the ball for long periods. They are going to have the ball more than you are. To play them with two days less recovery and the physical efforts of the players was extraordinary after the efforts against Liverpool.”
After 18 games, Newcastle have only 10 points in the Premier League and are second bottom. A tough run of fixtures will continue with a home game against Manchester United on Monday.
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