Eddie Howe was seething following Liverpool gaffer Arne Slot's half-time actions with referee Andy Madley at St James' Park.
With the Reds lagging a goal behind the Magpies at the interval, and three Liverpool players Madley's books, Slot's move raised more than a few eyebrows.
The Reds bounced back with Curtis Jones netting an equaliser, only for Anthony Gordon to snatch back Newcastle's lead. Nevertheless, Mohamed Salah's stunning double seemed set to nick the points for Liverpool until Fabian Schar's last-gasp equaliser, owing to a clanger from Caoimhin Kelleher.
READ MORE: Anthony Gordon shows true colours with celebration against Arne Slot's Liverpool
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim's rights and wrongs as Utd slump to first defeat of their new era
The Daily Star joins Bluesky as we Make Social Media Fun Again
Come and join The Daily Star on Bluesky, the social media site set up by ex-Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. It's now the new go-to place for content after a mass exodus of the Elon Musk-owned Twitter/X.
Fear not, we're not leaving Twitter/X, but we are jumping on the bandwagon. So come find our new account on https://bsky.app/profile/dailystar.co.uk, and see us social better than the rest.
You can also learn more about The Daily Star team in what Bluesky calls a “Starter Pack”.
So what are you waiting for?! Let's M.S.M.F.A (Make Social Media Fun Again)
Post-match, Dan Walker from Amazon Prime Video dropped the bombshell that Slot had nipped in to see Madley during the pause in play, and when pressed, a visibly miffed Howe remarked: "I don't think I'll go there. I think that's a can of worms. I tend to focus on my team."
Walker spilled the beans further, mentioning Madley's pre-game offer that both sides could enter if they wanted, yet it's believed Howe was furious over Slot's grabbing the opportunity at such a crucial juncture, reports the Mirror.
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot remonstrates with the fourth official during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on December 4, 2024.
Arne Slot's side dropped points against Newcastle (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Don't miss a thing with football updates!
Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news? Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star Football email newsletter!
From the latest transfer news to breaking stories, get it all in your email inbox.
How do you sign up?
It only takes a matter of seconds.
Simply click on this link, then provide your email address and that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top football stories.
You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, right here
Slot refused to slam his team despite their lead being trimmed to just seven points at the summit, saying: "I have mixed feelings, we were outstanding in the second half but we were not good enough in the first half. Maybe 3-3 is what the game deserved.
"They were really aggressive and forced us into mistakes but we were so much better in the second half. I knew the game could be changed around, we were much better with the ball.
"After the week we had we could change the game which is a very positive thing to take. Every time we need Mo Salah he scores a goal."