Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe criticized the referee for failing to award a penalty in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea, rejecting the referees’ explanations, as his side continued their habit of dropping points after leading.
Howe was left frustrated after his side let another two-goal lead slip away, with Newcastle now 13 points off the winning positions this season after Nick Woltemade’s two first-half goals were canceled out by Chelsea’s second-half comeback.
But Newcastle felt aggrieved when Trevoh Chalobah challenged Anthony Gordon in the second half, and the referee and VAR rejected their penalty appeal.
“I think it was a clear penalty,” Howe told TNT Sports. “I think the player attacked Anthony aggressively, too aggressively in my opinion, so I think it’s a penalty.”
The Premier League games center said the penalty was disallowed because Chalobah’s contact with Gordon was considered to be “side-to-side as part of a protective action” and because the ball was “within playing distance” – an explanation Howe completely rejected.
“No, because that’s not the case. I think the defender’s only look is on Anthony, not on the ball, and I think that’s very aggressive,” he added.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said he did not view the decision as a penalty but was happy to get a point given the circumstances.
“I don’t think there are many teams that are 2-0 up at half-time – against this team, in this stadium – and can come back,” he said. “Today I’m very happy because I’m proud of the players. It’s not easy to be 2-0 down, show character and come back.”
NEWCASTLE WASTE LEADERSHIP
Howe will regret his side’s failure to win at St James’s Park, where Reece James and João Pedro saved a point for Chelsea.
Newcastle have now gone 10 games without scoring a goal in the Premier League, which leaves them in 11th place and could fall down the table depending on the results of the rest of the weekend.
“We didn’t do our job, we couldn’t win today, but it’s something we think about and analyze all the time,” Howe said.
“I think we’ve been in a good position since the last international break. When we came back and beat Manchester City (in November), I think we saw a big improvement in the consistency of performances.
“We had a bad spell at Sunderland (1-0 loss), but other than that I think we were very good. I’m optimistic about the team and the trajectory we’re on. I’m disappointed with the results.”
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