Newcastle United players were furious and shocked – Aaron Ramsdale threw out his arms in anger, Malick Thiaw hit the ground, while Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy held their heads.
It felt like history repeating itself as Bayer Leverkusen’s stadium exploded with noise after Alex Grimaldo scored an 88th-minute equaliser.
Newcastle had shown great fight to come from behind and even take the lead, but once again they failed to hold on and conceded a late goal.
"You have to stand up and be counted, and we didn’t do that well enough," said Newcastle boss Eddie Howe after the 2-2 Champions League draw.
"That’s a team issue – everyone has to understand how important it is to protect our goal."
Newcastle have now conceded nine goals in the final 10 minutes of matches in all competitions this season – only Nottingham Forest have conceded more late goals among Premier League teams.
"It’s all about mentality," said goalscorer Anthony Gordon on TNT Sports. "Top teams hold out in these moments, and we have to learn to do the same."
