It was a draw that felt like a defeat, but late in the night at the Parc des Princes a defiant Kieran Trippier was not in the mood for despair.
Newcastle United left Paris on Tuesday night nursing a sense of injustice but having kept themselves in the Champions League – and their heads in the process.
They made their point – the Tino Livramento handball decision was extraordinary and yet another black mark against an increasingly difficult to defend VAR system – but did not linger on it.
That suggests that when the debate subsides, they will be able to emerge a stronger side as they confront a fixture list with no letting up.
There is less than a fortnight before Newcastle’s Champions League decider against AC Milan – if they better Paris Saint-Germain’s result at group leaders Borussia Dortmund they go through – but in that time they play another three Premier League fixtures, against Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham. Defiance will leave them better equipped than dwelling on it.
It is understood that stressing the need to keep their dignity while other teams have lost theirs over VAR decisions – Mikel Arteta’s St James’ Park rant springs to mind – was a collective decision taken in the dressing room and Trippier was the perfect messenger. Whatever private anger there was did not boil over.
“I just try to enjoy football and I’m just tired of discussing these matters, if you’re on the end of it in a good way or a bad way, nothing can change it,” he said, asked to pass comment on VAR and its impact on the game.
Don’t get it twisted, there was disbelief at the decision to penalise Livramento – “What is he supposed to do in that position?” – but he feels football needs a step change in how it approaches refereeing decisions.
The cruelest of ends to the game for Newcastle
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2023
Kylian Mbappé brings the Parisians level from the spot in the 98th minute…#UCL pic.twitter.com/dmPQfnSM9P
Trippier said Newcastle’s players had tried to extract from referee Szymon Marciniak why he gave the injury-time spot kick but got no explanation. Then he proceeded to propose a more radical solution to the issue.
“It’s one of those where I’m standing here, discussing the decisions but why can’t officials?” he asked.
“Why can’t the referee come out and explain why he gave that penalty, for example, just to give all the supporters, the media, yourselves a more clear indication of why he gave the penalty?
“Players get stuck here and answer questions, but why can’t officials? It doesn’t get spoken about enough.”
He has a point. Marciniak is the best in the business – the World Cup referee for the classic final almost a year ago between France and Argentina – and his first instinct to overrule desperate Parisian appeals for a penalty was correct. VAR spotted contact with the hand via the hip and asked him to check. He then made what consensus suggests was the wrong call.
Asking him why he changed his mind, and listening to the explanation, might help expose the farce that VAR actually helps officials rather than over-complicating the game.
It is a shame that it emerges as the biggest talking point when there was so much in the game, and Newcastle’s performance, to enjoy.
Trippier was outstanding against Mbappe – the France forward can hardly enjoy his meetings with the England full-back – but so too was Miguel Almiron and Lewis Miley. In goal Nick Pope, a rare 8/10 mark in the notoriously stingy L’Equipe newspaper on Wednesday a testament to his display, was simply outstanding.
“So many positives,” Trippier said.
“We didn’t make one sub, it was 11 against 16 tonight. The lads have given absolutely everything, as I’ve said over and over again. We’ve all just got to keep stepping up.
“We’ve all got to keep giving everything for the team and wait for some players to come back from injury.”
Trippier agreed that Newcastle, after successive games where they gave diet versions of Eddie Howe’s high intensity blueprint, finally illustrated what they could do on Europe’s biggest stage.
He highlighted “character”, “togetherness” and made the case that Newcastle’s European education was coming on apace.
“When you come to places like Paris Saint-Germain you have to frustrate teams. I always go back to when I was at Atletico going to play Liverpool at Anfield, we got absolutely peppered, but we got through so sometimes you’ve got to manage the game,” he said.
“I think we did that. I thought we managed the game unbelievably well.
“Some people may not like it, but we still tried to go after them on the counter, which worked first half – we played unbelievably well. But you have to find ways to win matches.”
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