Wigan 2 Newcastle 1: Pardew angry at McManaman’s ‘awful’ tackle

Alan Pardew was left fuming at Callum McManaman’s “awful tackle” on Massadio Haidara after Newcastle slipped to a defeat at Wigan Athletic.

Jean Beausejour gave the Latics the lead in the 18th minute at the DW Stadium before McManaman was not punished for a high lunge on Haidara, who was subsequently sent to hospital with suspected knee ligament damage.

Davide Santon looked to have rescued a point for Pardew’s visitors when he netted an equaliser in the 72nd minute, but Arouna Kone’s last-minute winner gave Roberto Martinez’s side a vital win.

“It was an awful tackle [by Callum McManaman],” Pardew told BBC Sport.

“I have got a boy going to hospital and that’s a worse feeling than losing.

“It looked a bad tackle but I didn’t realise how bad until it filtered through to us.”

Pardew, whose side are 13th in the Premier League table and six points above the relegation zone, was left fuming by a host of refereeing decisions, culminating in Mike Halsey’s failure to punish McManaman.

He added: “We had a game we want to forget because nothing went for us. It was almost a calamity of decisions for us. We felt we should have had a corner in the build-up to their goal. But I can’t fault my players, we’ll have to patch ourselves up and get on with it.”

“I felt we should have had a handball [in the winning goal]. Everybody appeals for handball and in that split second is the difference between us clearing the ball and not.”