Howe hails 'outstanding' Newcastle after 'soft' Barcelona penalty

Eddie Howe brushed aside the frustration of a "soft" late equaliser and praised an "outstanding" Newcastle United display after the Champions League first leg with Barcelona at St James' Park. Harvey Barnes ghosted in at the back post to break the deadlock with just five minutes of normal time remaining, but Barcelona’s pressure forced an error and substitute Dani Olmo drew a foul from Malick Thiaw in stoppage time; Lamine Yamal converted the resulting penalty.

Howe called the performance "outstanding" and said the team "kept the intensity up." He described the penalty as "soft" while noting "Malik makes contact," and stressed he did not want that moment to override the 93 minutes in which the side were "quality." The manager added the players will need to be at their "very best" when they go to Camp Nou.

Harvey Barnes echoed the mood in the dressing room, calling it "a bit of a strange feeling" after a night in which Newcastle largely nullified Barcelona's attacking threat.

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