Newcastle head coach John Carver denied Jack Colback was lucky to still be on the pitch when he fired the Magpies ahead in their 1-1 Premier League draw with Stoke.
Colback might have picked up a second yellow card for a 71st-minute foul on Victor Moses, but escaped punishment and three minutes later found the net.
Carver's side were denied victory, though, by Peter Crouch's 90th-minute header.
On whether Colback should have been sent off, Carver told Sky Sports News: "I think the referee used his common sense. Jack's not a nasty guy, he's competitive, but it works both ways and I think one or two of those lads on the Stoke team got away with one or two things.''
Colback: "If I'd seen a second yellow, I couldn't have felt too aggrieved. I caught him but you ride your luck sometimes." #NUFC
- Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) February 8, 2015
Carver was disappointed his side were unable to hold on, with Gabriel Obertan and Ayoze Perez missing golden chances before Crouch struck, adding: "We shot ourselves in the foot.''