Newcastle United missed out on beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Kylian Mbappe converted a penalty in the 98th minute of the game in France in a bitter blow to the Magpies' Round of 16 hopes.
After the game, Eddie Howe raged at the officials: "That's a frustrating thing [that a penalty wasn't given in a similar situation earlier on in the game]. The referee is under pressure with every decision with the crowd.
"Which you may not be aware of at home, that the pressure put on the referee by the crowd was extreme. You know, it's the last seconds of the game and he's given it. Have we been 'robbed'? I think you summed it up better than me because I'm not allowed to."
All of this comes after Howe openly slammed Mikel Arteta for the Spaniard's comments about VAR following Arsenal's controversial 1–0 loss away at Newcastle in the Premier League earlier this month.
Back then, the Magpies boss said: "Maybe he's seen something I haven't. With every check it was going through, you're thinking they're going to find something wrong with it. It's very bizarre to have three VAR checks but the goal was given.
"I think restrictions being brought in and punishments being more severe [for managers who complain about referees] is the only way to go. I do think there is a willing from everyone in the game to do that, I don't see the opposite. It's just creating the culture that we need to."
The situation has led to Howe being branded a 'hypocrite' on social media, with one fan writing: "The next game Howe is moaning about referee decisions and even questioning the refs' integrity! What an absolute hypocrite. No credibility."
