Referee Darren England interacts with Joe Willock, Fabian Schaer and Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
The details of what Newcastle United sporting director Paul Mitchell did following Saturday’s draw with Crystal Palace have now emerged.
The Magpies took the lead in the 53rd minute thanks to a Marc Guehi own goal and looked to have the points wrapped up.
BBC pundit slams ‘lazy’ Newcastle player for Crystal Palace horrorshow!
That was until Daniel Munoz popped up to score a heart-breaking equaliser in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.
To say Newcastle deserved a win would be a massive stretch. After all, the Magpies managed just one shot in the entire match and none on target, compared to 16 attempts from Crystal Palace. The xG stakes were also skewed heavily in Palace’s favour, 1.76 to 0.04.
Even so, there was immense frustration amongst players and supporters at the late equaliser, denying Newcastle a place in the top seven and seeing them stuck down in 11th place.
Paul Mitchell visits Newcastle dressing room after Palace draw
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Interestingly, Newcastle sporting director Mitchell was in attendance at Selhurst Park and decided to pay a visit to his team’s dressing room at full-time.
However, according to the Chronicle, Mitchell was not there to deliver any harsh words or send a message to manager Eddie Howe.
Instead, the former Monaco chief offered his sympathy to Newcastle’s players, who will have been feeling completely deflated after giving away a late goal.
“After the game, Newcastle’s sporting director Paul Mitchell and performance chief James Bunce made their way from the executive seats to the dressing room area,” the Chronicle report stated. “However, this was a case of Newcastle being united across the backroom with Mitchell believed to have sympathised with the team after almost holding out for three points.”
Newcastle will look to recover from their recent setbacks — including a 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham United on Monday — when they host Premier League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday.