Craig Pawson told he made a big mistake during Newcastle United’s draw with Brighton

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The points were shared between Newcastle United and Brighton at the American Express Stadium on Sunday in a high-stakes game.

It was always going to be difficult to get a good result on the South Coast given their record, but Newcastle United were able to come from behind to draw 1-1 with Brighton.

The race for Champions League qualification is heating up, with just four points the gap between third and seventh place in the Premier League.

Newcastle currently find themselves fourth in the table but have Chelsea breathing down their necks after beating newly-crowned champions Liverpool 3-1 at Stamford Bridge just a few hours after the Magpies drew against the Seagulls.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
2	ArsenalArsenal	35	18	13	4	64	31	33	67
3	Man CityManchester City	35	19	7	9	67	43	24	64
4	NewcastleNewcastle	35	19	6	10	66	45	21	63
5	ChelseaChelsea	35	18	9	8	62	41	21	63

Yankuba Minteh scored against Newcastle and gave a bizarre celebration against his former club. One that even his teammates were confused about. However, a late penalty from Alexander Isak ensured that the Magpies did not return to the North East empty-handed.

With the top-five race set to go down to the wire, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has given his opinion on an incident during the game, which could have seen Newcastle take all three points instead of the draw.

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Dermot Gallagher blasts Craig Pawson for decision in Brighton vs Newcastle United

Newcastle fans were understandably frustrated at the result, given what happened during the game. Referee Craig Pawson awarded the Magpies three penalties, but two of them were overturned.

Anthony Gordon was brought down by Tariq Lamptey but replays showed the winger was outside of the area. 14 minutes later, Pawson pointed to the spot again in Newcastle’s favour. However, replays revealed that Willock had dived inside the area, so the decision was overturned and the 25-year-old was booked for simulation.

After being booked in the first half, right-back Mats Wieffer put in a strong challenge on midfielder Sandro Tonali. Pawson gave Wieffer the benefit of the doubt, allowing him to stay on the pitch. However, replays made it obvious that the Dutchman completely missed the ball and caught Tonali with his studs high.

The incident was looked at by Gallagher on Sky Sports Ref Watch, where he said: “I think he [Wieffer] is lucky not to be sent off.

“The manager has dragged him off [straight after the challenge on Tonali] and that speaks volumes.”

Despite his early substitution, Wieffer had already left this mark on the game, bagging the assist for Minteh’s goal in the first half.

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Fabian Hurzeler suggests Newcastle United were lucky against Brighton

A point means Newcastle still hold the aces in the race for Champions League qualification, but Eddie Howe will undoubtedly be looking over his shoulder as Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa loom.

The next three games are of the utmost importance, but two wins would be enough to see the Magpies return to Europe’s top competition.

While Newcastle may feel they were wronged for decisions in the game against Brighton, Fabian Hurzeler has a compelling argument for why his side should have come out with more from the game.

Matt O’Riley went down in the area after a coming together with Tonali, but Pawson opted not to award a spot-kick. Hurzeler was shocked at Pawson’s decision and was baffled that the decision did not go his way after a VAR check.

The Seagulls are 10th in the Premier League table and are chasing European football. They needed the points as much as Newcastle did on Sunday.