Update

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe confronted by fan on touchline at Elland Road during draw with Leeds - man charged with assault

A man was able to get into the Newcastle technical area and confront Eddie Howe during the Premier League game at Leeds on Saturday; the incident happened during second-half injury-time of the 2-2 draw at Elland Road; Leeds issued a lifetime ban before man was charged with assault

Sunday 14 May 2023 09:57, UK

A man has been charged with assault by police after confronting Eddie Howe on the touchline during Newcastle's 2-2 draw with Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday.

The incident happened in injury-time in the second half when the man was able to enter the Newcastle technical area and push Magpies boss Howe before being escorted away by security.

West Yorkshire Police issued a statement on Sunday morning which read: "Police have charged a man with assault and entering the field of play following an incident at Elland Road football stadium during the Leeds United versus Newcastle United football match yesterday (13/5).

"The man has been bailed to appear before magistrates on July 21."

Leeds have already issued a lifetime ban to the man.

Howe told BT Sport: "That was a real surprise. I was concentrating on the game. It was the last thing you think could happen."

He later added: "I can't repeat what he said but it makes you think 'what if?'.

"It was personal to me. I can't remember if he pushed me or not, it was such a strange thing to happen. Moments like that make you think. We need to be mindful of security.

"Nobody should have to feel their personal safety is violated when trying to entertain the country.

"I didn't have time to be fearful, it was over in a flash. But it made me think about things after."

Allardyce: We weren't professional

Leeds manager Sam Allardyce, who celebrated his first point in charge, had contrasting opinions on his team's performance in the game.

He told BT Sport: "Very, very satisfied with what they've done and how they applied themselves. There are lots of areas where we say room for improvement, but we didn't get dispirited even though we made life extremely difficult for ourselves. We missed a penalty then conceded two but scored to save 2-2.

"Our defending was magnificent today. When you consider where Newcastle are and we played Manchester City last week, we are moving in the right direction now. We pleased the crowd, they helped us in the game and kept going with us. It's a shame we weren't more professional at the right time as that would have been a win for us otherwise.

"We have to stick with it and do as much as we can to save our position in the Premier League. That is everyone concerned with Leeds. That is everyone who works at the training ground and everyone in the stadium, it's imperative we stay in this league.

"I'm disappointed it's only a draw. It could have easily been a win for us. It's our fault we didn't win. I have been talking about staying on your feet all week. I don't like it when they ignore me, so they will get told off. If we stayed on our feet, we would have won."