Friday 15 February 2019 13:50, UK
Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles has apologised to goalkeeper Martin Dubravka for his angry reaction to Wolves' equaliser on Monday night.
Newcastle looked to be on course for a crucial victory in their battle against relegation after Isaac Hayden put the visitors ahead at Molineux.
However, late in injury time Willy Boly rose above Dubravka to score a controversial equaliser for Wolves, with the Newcastle goalkeeper complaining of a foul.
Lascelles and Dubravka were seen arguing on the pitch after the goal but the Newcastle captain now admits he was wrong to blame the Slovakian.
"On the pitch there and then, I was just angry with everything," Lascelles told Sky Sports News.
"It wasn't necessarily to do with him, it was just to do with everything. They scored at that minute but when I looked back at it, it was as clear as anything that it was a foul.
"So I apologised to him and I shouldn't really be doing that to him. I hold my hands up but at the same time I've got a job to do.
"I haven't got the armband because I'm technically the best or gifted. It's because I'm honest and I'm hard-working. I won't change in that aspect."
Dubravka has made costly mistakes against Manchester United and Tottenham since the turn of the year but Lascelles insists the goalkeeper has been an "outstanding" player for Newcastle this season.
When asked how Dubravka had dealt with the Wolves result, Lascelles said: "Fine. Things happen. Last time we played Wolves I let my man score from about two yards out.
"People make mistakes, everybody makes mistakes. Since he's been here, how many saves has he made? He has been an outstanding player for us.
"We can't look at him and say we dropped two points because of him at all. One, it was a foul and two, he's been unreal for us and hopefully he carries on to do so.
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez insists Dubravka was fouled in the build-up to the goal but the former Sparta Prague goalkeeper believes he should have made the save.
"When these kind of things happen, it's very important to be honest. When I came into the dressing room, I told my team-mates that I was sorry for it, I should have saved it," Dubravka told NUFC TV.
"Obviously we lost some points, but the great things was that all of them supported me, even the coaches.
"They called me and said, 'This can happen to the best players, so don't think about it too much, forget this game and be ready for the next one', which is a great attitude and I appreciate that."
