Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall.placeholder image
Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall. | Getty Images
Lewis Hall was arguably Newcastle United’s best player in the 1-1 draw with Barcelona.
Lewis Hall was left reeling after Newcastle United surrendered the lead in stoppage time against Barcelona.
As the final minute of stoppage time drew to a close, Malick Thiaw’s outstretched leg caught Dani Olmo. The Magpies battered Barca for large spells of the game and, as Lamine Yamal dispatched from 12 yards, a "what could have been” feeling emanated around St James’ Park.
Newcastle were seconds away from giving themselves an advantage on aggregate heading to the Camp Nou next week. It was not to be, but Toon youngster Hall - who pocketed Yamal - attracting further plaudits following his performance.
‘We deserve more’ - Lewis Hall
The 21-year-old was arguably Newcastle’s best player and expressed his disappointment at the full-time whistle. Like most observers, Hall viewed the Magpies were worthy winners and felt aggrieved by the late spot-kick.
“If we're taking the game to them at 1-0 for the second leg, I think we're in a really good position,” Hall told Amazon Prime. “I thought we were outstanding today and the last goal doesn't reflect our performance.
“We can be really proud of the effort we put in today. They're obviously a top side and we knew the game was going to be difficult, but yeah, like I said, we can be so proud of ourselves. Whenever we play here, we want to start sharp. Anyone who plays against us knows that's what we want to do.
“We did that well today. Our energy levels and fitness levels carried on throughout the whole 90 minutes. Like I said, I think we deserved more from the game.”
Lewis Hall expresses Newcastle United regret
Hall has also suggested Newcastle should have shut up shop rather than push for a second goal. Harvey Barnes broke the deadlock on 86 minutes but Eddie Howe aimed to double the advantage.
“That sums us up,” Hall added. “Whenever we're on a high, we want to keep going, we want to keep pushing. That shows a lot about our mentality. Sometimes in these moments, it's easy to get carried away.
“And I guess there's an argument for maybe (saying) we did at the end there (by) trying to push for another goal. I don't think it was necessarily the best idea. But what can we do?”
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