Days may have passed since the anguish of Paris but it's safe to say Newcastle United fans are still reeling from the heartbreak of Kylian Mbappe's last-gasp penalty. Magpies legend Shay Given, who was in the Parc des Princes in a work capacity while rooting for Eddie Howe's side, was also equally as baffled and frustrated by such a harsh blow in the dying stages.
"Do UEFA referees look at it and think 'because I've been sent to the monitor here, do I have to give it?'" he told Chronicle Live. "In my opinion, the referee's reputation would have went up in my eyes if he'd went to the monitor and said 'not for me'.
"It's just very frustrating because people may say PSG deserved to draw but when you get your nose in front away from home in Europe and you defend like that, Nick Pope is making brilliant saves, the lads are blocking everything, the wingers are tracking back and everyone is doing amazing things - it's just really frustrating to lose two points in that manner."
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But let's not dwell on the pitfalls of VAR any longer. After all, had it not been for Szymon Marciniak pointing to the spot and Mbappe cooly converting soon after, we would instead be sat here waxing lyrical over a monumental Newcastle victory against one of Europe's fiercest outfits.
Nick Pope, many fans' nomination for Man of the Match in the French capital, would also be receiving even more praise from supporters and the media alike. After all, the 31-year-old was cool, calm and composed throughout as he dominated his penalty area and kept PSG's expensive attacking options at bay despite a constant second-half bombardment.
There was a stunning reflex stop from Mbappe early on, before 'one of the saves of his life' according to TNT Sports' Darren Fletcher, as Bradley Barcola somehow failed to score from six yards out. However, Pope hasn't had it all his own way in recent months.
After Newcastle's shaky start to the season, the goalkeeper's form was questioned by a minimal section of the Geordie faithful, while his inability to comfortably play out from the back has been a gripe for some too. However, Given states Pope is working hard behind the scenes to improve with the ball at his feet.
But does Tuesday's performance prove being a good shot-stopper should still trump being able to build out from the back, despite what Pep Guardiola might tell you? Given believes you only have to look at Newcastle's upcoming opponents, Manchester United, to justify that point.
"If you look at Andre Onana last night [against Galatasaray], and by the way I still have question marks that he [Onana] is really good with the ball at his feet and I'm still not sure if he is or not, to be honest. But if you look at the performance of Pope 24 hours earlier and you look at the performance of Onana who they paid 50 million for?
"I don't want to bash Onana too much because Newcastle play them at the weekend but what I'm saying is: do you want someone who's really good with their feet and then you start questioning their goalkeeping or do you want someone who's absolutely amazing with his goalkeeping?
"And by the way Pope is working on his footwork. He's working to improve, he's working to become better. I know that because I've been watching some training.
"But I think people get away from the fact that a goalkeeper, especially goalkeepers playing Champions League football, has to be good at keeping the ball out of the net. That is the most important thing."
Most Newcastle fans will likely overlook Pope's unease with the ball at his feet but many suspect Gareth Southgate has not been as forgiven. After regularly calling on the former Burnley stopper on the international stage, the England boss has turned his attention elsewhere despite Pope's sparkling Newcastle displays of late.
"I was very surprised when it [Pope being dropped] happened," Given added. "Sam Johnstone is a very good goalkeeper as well but Pope, as we've seen not only on Tuesday night but in Milan as well, has put in performances at the top, top level of club football and obviously Sam Johnstone is not doing that.
"I'm surprised because he has been part of the England setup for a few years. I think he deserves to be in the squad."
While Pope is undoubtedly the main man in between the sticks for Newcastle, much has been made of his understudies in recent weeks. Martin Dubravka, Loris Karius and Mark Gillespie may all be struggling for game time but each made Eddie Howe's Premier League squad for the win over Chelsea last weekend as the club's injury crisis worsened.
Dubravka may well get a chance to pull on his Newcastle jersey for the Carabao Cup clash with the west London this month but Karius and Gillespie face another few months on the sidelines barring any surprise injury twists.
Given, though, has seen all four shot-stoppers up close at Newcastle and doesn't believe fans should underestimate the influence of Pope's backups and their influence behind the scenes.
"I was lucky enough to do a full feature for Premier League TV and I managed to join in with them and train with them," the Irishman said. "I think they have to be together in this but they really seem that way and they clearly enjoy working together.
"There's no animosity towards Nick Pope and they're all wanting to do their best for him because he's the number one. People have said in the past that, for example, [Manuel] Almunia didn't get on with [Jens] Lehmann at Arsenal and there's different goalkeepers that haven't worked well together because there's that side of it where everyone wants to play it, don't they?
"But the Newcastle goalkeeping coaches have done the job of moulding them really well. There's also a realisation for Gillespie, Karius and Dubravka that things can change very quickly and they only have to look to last season to prove that. No one thought Karius would ever play for Newcastle and before you know it he's playing in a cup final.
"Dubravka has more of a chance to play in the League Cup but the other two have to come in every day and work hard, keep their head down, train hard, help the group. But in my dealings with them, they're all great lads and they really get on well together."
Shay Given is a brand ambassador for sports betting platform CopyBet. Visit CopyBet.com for more information.
