Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle expressed frustration at the match official’s call to grant Liverpool a stoppage-time spot kick that enabled the visitors to rescue a point in Sunday’s 2-2 stalemate at St James’ Park.
Iraola’s men clinched a remarkable share of the spoils on Tyneside when Szoboszlai tucked away his effort from 12 yards after substitute Munoz had been brought down by Hall.
The decisive spot kick arrived after Willock had put the away side ahead, with Gakpo’s strike wiping out Elanga’s opener from earlier in the contest.
Speaking about Attwell’s call to penalise his team deep into added time, Jaissle insisted the award was far from clear-cut, suggesting numerous similar incidents would need to be penalised throughout the campaign if consistency was to be applied.
He expressed reservations about the call while praising his players for demonstrating unity on the field. The squad had worked tirelessly to implement the aggressive, attacking style he demanded, playing expansively and directly. Despite the brief period the group had been together, he found satisfaction in their display, though ultimately frustration lingered. The team came agonisingly close to claiming all three points, yet there were positive signs to take forward given the effort sustained across the full 90 minutes. With a relatively inexperienced squad, the players had given everything, which provided a foundation to develop in the matches ahead.