However, Silva was convinced Perez's winner should have been chalked off, claiming the officials had failed to spot five Magpies players in offside positions.

He said: "When they scored the third goal it was a big mistake by the assistant, nothing more to say. It was a clear offside.

"If you see the image it's not just one player or two players in offside positions, there were five Newcastle players in the same line in offside positions. It was a clear offside, five players in offside positions.

"If 2-2 for us at that moment was a big frustration, imagine when they scored the third goal in a clear offside position?"

It proved to be an eventful afternoon on Tyneside for former Sunderland keeper Pickford, who produced fine saves to deny Perez and substitute Paul Dummett, but also conceded the penalty after spilling a cross and could only parry Miguel Almiron's shot to allow Perez to equalise.

Asked about the 25-year-old, who was taunted by home fans throughout, Silva said: "I'm not here to do that. Everything I have to say to my players I will say in our dressing room. I have already said something to them.

"First, we have to look to ourselves. We lost because it was our fault, because I'm sure if we had kept doing what we did in the first half and we did what we had to do in the first 15 minutes of the second half, we would have killed the match with a third goal."

Opposite number Rafael Benitez, one of the few people inside St James' Park who did not believe Pickford should have received a red card, was delighted with a concerted fightback which was essential on a day when Brighton, Cardiff and Southampton all also won.

He was particularly pleased with the inter-play between Rondon and Perez which led to the Venezuela international's goal.

Benitez said: "The first goal was a great goal. I was joking that if Messi had done what Ayo did and Alan Shearer finished like Rondon, everybody would have been talking for a month about that."

Perez's goals could hardly have been more timely, levelling with nine minutes remaining and adding what proved to be the winner three minutes later to secure a fifth successive home league win in the same season for the first time since 2004.

Benitez said: "Ayo is a player of quality. I can understand sometimes the fans when he is giving the ball away, but he is capable of doing these things. He can miss an easy pass but after he can score a great goal."

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