According to Thomas Frank, Brentford only lost at Newcastle due to a decision by referee Craig Pawson.
The Bees had performed well before to the allocation of a 64th-minute penalty after custodian Mark Flekken was found to have fouled Anthony Gordon.
The Dutchman slid as the ball went out of play, and the winger tripped over him. Callum Wilson scored the game’s only goal, but Frank was unhappy.
‘First and foremost, I think we played a very good game. I think everyone knows it’s very difficult to come here,’ he said. ‘The way we performed was very impressive.
‘I think it was an even game where we could have won it. That’s why it’s very frustrating when it’s decided on a decision that I think is wrong.
‘Normally, I never complain about penalties. This time, I think it was a wrong decision. It was an on-field decision, if they hadn’t reffed it, the VAR wouldn’t have overturned that one.
‘We got told when a similar decision happened against Tottenham, when the goalkeeper’s coming out and he has contact with the player, but pulling out just before, then it shouldn’t be a penalty. That’s what we got told three, four weeks ago.
‘I’m very sure when this goes to the panel of refs, Howard Webb will come back and say “Sorry, it was not a penalty”. That will be even more frustrating. We do our best. I demand a big character from my players today, they showed it.
‘I always demand big character from the refs in a situation like this. This is a fantastic home crowd with a fantastic atmosphere, but they affect the decisions.
‘In my opinion, it’s not a penalty. It happens, it’s not the first time there’s a wrong decision in the world. We need to look at the performance, and the performance was very good.’