Sean Longstaff was inadvertently the reason why Elliot Anderson did not score against Nottingham Forest, but he also came agonizingly close to finding the net himself.
Newcastle thought they had gone in front on Friday night when Anderson powered home a header, but VAR intervened before the referee decided that Longstaff was offside in the buildup.
It was a hugely controversial decision that sparked outrage from Toon fans. Luckily, it did not matter as the Magpies went on to win.
However, it was disappointing for Anderson, who thought he had scored his first ever senior goal from the club. He received messages of support after the final whistle, one of which came from Longstaff.
The 25-year-old also had chances to score at the City Ground, but he was denied by the woodwork rather than the officials.
Sean Longstaff thought he had scored
Longstaff had two good chances from distance in the first half. His first was deflected by a Forest defender, looping onto the crossbar to deny Newcastle an equaliser. He also fired an effort way over the bar from a similar position.
The local lad has now spoke to the Chronicle about his misses, and admitted that he thought the first one was going to hit the back of the net.
“I thought it was in,” Longstaff said when asked about hitting the bar.
“I think when it takes a deflection it’s probably got more chance of going in than when it doesn’t take one.
“I thought the second one, I hit pretty well as well but I just leant back a bit.”
Still only one Premier League goal this season for Longstaff
As Longstaff says, the deflection on his first effort probably made it more likely to go in. Unfortunately, it struck the woodwork.
It was one of many chances Newcastle created in the first half, when it looked like it was going to be one of those nights for Eddie Howe’s side.
Luckily we found a way through, with Alexander Isak scoring a spectacular brace to make it back-to-back Toon wins.
For Longstaff, he remains on just one Premier League goal this season. He has not scored in the league since the 4-1 win over Fulham back in October. The midfielder has scored two more goals this season, both of which came in the Carabao Cup semi final win over Southampton.
But despite his struggles in front of goal, Longstaff is continuing to play well as he enjoys a stellar campaign in black and white.