Eddie Howe left furious over PSG’s controversial 98th-minute penalty

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been left fuming over Paris-Saint Germain’s controversial 98th-minute penalty, admitting he is still ‘coming to terms’ with the decision.

Alexander Isak put Newcastle in control of the Champions League clash on Tuesday night and the Premier League side looked on course for a famous victory over the French champions until virtually the last kick of the game.

Tino Livramento was deemed to have handled the ball in the area deep into stoppage time at the Parc des Princes, with the incident checked by VAR.

The handball was given against Livramento from Ousmane Dembele’s cross as the ball appeared to hit the Newcastle star on the chest before it struck his lower arm – with Kylian Mbappe then firing pack Nick Pope to secure a point.

Speaking after the match, Howe told TNT Sports: ‘I’m still coming to terms with it.

‘I feel really flat but at the same time really pleased with what the players gave today. Their commitment, execution… We rode our luck. We ran out of luck at the end. I didn’t think it was a penalty.

‘What you don’t take into account with those replays is how quick the ball goes. It hits his chest first. If it hits his hands first, well it’s still not a penalty because he’s so close. But you can make more of a case.

‘It’s not a penalty when it hits his chest first and then hits his hand which is low. I’m not allowed to sum it up. I can’t say my inner thoughts obviously [I’d get in trouble].

‘I thought the referee was having a good game up until this moment. He had been strong.’

Meanwhile, Howe lauded Newcastle goalkeeper Pope for his performance and still feels the draw is a positive result against the Ligue 1 side, as a defeat would have seem them exit the competition altogether.

‘Nick [Pope] was like he was against AC Milan away when we needed a giant performance from him,’ Howe added. ‘The players accepted we had to defend well and defend our goal like our life depended on it. It looked like we got there. They missed some chances, you can’t deny that.

‘When we’ve defended so well in that shape, with that personnel for so long, sometimes you make a change and it creates a mistake. Sometimes you twist, sometimes you stick. We decided to stick and obviously it didn’t work out.

‘We’re still in it. That’s another thing we can’t forget. We could easily have come here and have not been in the competition anymore. We still believe. As much as it’s a huge, deflating feeling – it could be another story in our season.’

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