Eddie Howe refrained from launching an attack on referee Paul Tierney in his post-game press conference on a night when other managers may not have been able to control themselves.
Howe cut a calm figure as he faced journalists with the adrenaline still pumping after he'd watching Elliot Anderson head home what could have been the winner. Howe was arguably as animated as he's ever been celebrating a Newcastle goal as he leapt up in delight when Anderson's header crashed into the net.
But there would soon be a cruel twist as VAR flagged up Sean Longstaff's position and urged Tierney to check on his monitor. Having originally awarded the goal, Tierney seemed to be swayed by the situation.
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Howe said afterwards: "The VAR goal is a good place to start, really. I’m not sure what happened there, I’ve got no idea, so I need to sit down and see what happened and what the thought process was.
"I was surprised to see the referee go over to the screen and make that decision and that call. It was what it was, and I think the big thing from that is that the players responded really well.
"Especially Elliot. It would have been easy for him to really curse that moment, with the fact that it was his first Newcastle goal."
Anderson went on to complete an excellent second half performance but it was Alexander Isak who grabbed the headlines. Anderson said after the game: "I was gutted the goal didn't stand but hopefully there's more to come."
Howe reflected on the Sweden star and said: "I think confidence is key for any attacking player. The penalty was ice cool. It was a huge moment for us, in our season, and it’s not easy to do that, especially with the delay.
"But he put it away really well. The first goal was a slightly unorthodox finish, but it was great to see one hit the woodwork and fall in the net this time."
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