Enzo Maresca believes that Nicolas Jackson's red card in the 2-0 defeat of Chelsea against Newcastle United was influenced by the home supporters in St. James' Park.
Jackson was sent away in the 35th minute for a waving forearm in Sven Botman, a decision that was initially given as yellow before he was upgraded after a VAR assessment.
That made Chelsea's hope even more difficult on a comeback, with the blues a goal thanks to the Sandro Tonali finish in just the second minute.
But the Maresca team had their chances in the second half, with Nick Pope made strong saves to deny Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez, while Reece James also wasted a golden chance.
James' Miss turned out to be precious, with Bruno Guimaraes who sealed an important victory for the Magpies in the 90th minute when his shot bent over Robert Sanchez from a distance.
“It is difficult 11 V 11 in this stadium, to this team. An hour of playing with 10 players has not been easy,” said Maresca about the resignation of Jackson.
“I think the team showed in the second half of the Spirit, togetherness.
“The only thing I can say is that it is sometimes too easy to make a number of decisions in some stadiums. If the referee decides for a red, it is a red.
“Sometimes you have the feeling in this stadium that some decisions are of the noise. Again, if the referee decides that it is a red card, it is a red card.”
In the result, Chelsea's Vijf-Game Winning Run came to an end opposite all matches, with the defeat a huge blow to their hope for Champions League qualification.
The blues remain fifth in the table, but can fall from the top five after the conclusion of Sunday's matches, with only two games of their season.
Indeed, the OPTA Supercomputer hands Chelsea a 48.7% chance to finish at the Champions League places, and Marseca believes it could go to the thread.
“We were in a good run, but my message was always the same for the players. The game has disappeared, think of the next,” said Maresca.
“The same now, we have to concentrate at the game of Friday – that's the next one.”
“It could be,” Maresca added whether the top five race could go to the last day. “We didn't win today.
“We are upset on the one hand, on the other, proud of the team because the effort is top. We have to keep the same effort, the same feeling for Friday's game.”