Eddie Howe expressed his frustration after Newcastle was denied what he labeled a “clear” penalty while Chelsea made a comeback to secure a draw in their Premier League clash.
Referee Andy Madley dismissed the penalty appeal for Trevoh Chalobah’s challenge on Anthony Gordon in the 53rd minute, a decision upheld by VAR official Peter Bankes, leaving the Newcastle manager confused.
Howe commented, “Anywhere else on the pitch, that’s an obvious free-kick. When it went to VAR, I thought, ‘This will surely be overturned; it’s a clear mistake.’ It was as clear a penalty as I’ve seen.”
“The defender was only concerned with Ant [Gordon]. They argued it was shielding, but I disagree with that assessment. I’m very disappointed it wasn’t awarded.”
Newcastle, having faced a disappointing derby defeat to Sunderland just days prior, started strong, taking a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes. Nick Woltemade opened the scoring from close range after Chelsea keeper Robert Sánchez had saved Anthony Gordon’s shot, then he added another goal with a tidy finish from a Gordon cross.
However, in a match of contrasting halves, Reece James’s free-kick in the 49th minute reignited Chelsea’s hopes, and a solid second-half performance earned them a point when João Pedro capitalized on a slip by Malick Thiaw to equalize with 24 minutes left.
Howe reflected, “There’s a significant sense of disappointment for us. I’m really disappointed for the players. In my opinion, we deserved to win that game.”
“The only real letdown in the first half—which was our best performance—was that we didn’t have a larger lead. We created chances and played with tremendous energy and quality. It’s very disappointing not to win after such an effort.”
Conversely, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca felt his team could have walked away with all three points after showcasing resilience.
Maresca remarked, “After the first half, they deserved to win, but from my perspective in the second half, we deserved to win too. That’s how I see it.”
“After we scored the second goal, we had three or four clear chances to add another. They had one notable chance with Harvey Barnes, but overall, a draw seems fair.”
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It’s been a tumultuous week for Maresca, who has been linked to a potential role at Manchester City following Pep Guardiola’s rumored departure and has also questioned the support he has received from the club.
However, when asked about the challenges he faced recently, he replied, “My last week hasn’t been complicated; it’s been good. We beat Everton, we beat Cardiff, and we drew with Newcastle away, so in terms of results, I’m satisfied.”
“Of course, there are areas we can improve, but I believe we are heading in the right direction.”