Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul praised referee Martin Atkinson for spotting Andy Carroll's dive in the early stages of Liverpool's 2-0 defeat at St James' Park.
Carroll was making his first appearance in the North East following his contentious £35million move to Anfield in January last year but endured an afternoon to forget.
The England international was booked with just 10 minutes gone when, having rounded Krul and with the goal set to be at his mercy, he elected to go to ground.
Atkinson immediately branded the yellow card, with Carroll's afternoon not improving as two goals from Papiss Cisse secured a deserved victory for the home side, with the Gateshead-born forward substituted late on to jeers from all sides.
Krul's opposite number Pepe Reina was dismissed in the closing stages for an apparent head-butt on James Perch, although contact appeared to be minimal.
Dived
When asked about the Carroll incident, Krul told Sky Sports: "He just went over, he dived, I never touched him.
"He was looking for a penalty, all strikers try to do that, but he didn't get it, the ref was at a good angle to see it."
The Dutchman saluted the prolific Cisse, who has replaced Carroll as the Magpies' No.9, adding: "He's a fantastic striker, a proper goalscorer.
"He's a typical number nine for Newcastle and I'm happy we signed a top-class player like him."
Krul also paid tribute to Mike Williamson and his stop-gap fellow centre-half James Perch, who admirably filled the void left by Fabricio Coloccini's absence.
Outstanding
He said: "(Williamson) and Perchy were outstanding, they blocked everything - I didn't have to make a proper save today."
Defender Williamson insists his team can still dream of a place in next season's UEFA Champions League after their triumph over the Reds.
The Magpies are now level on points with Chelsea in sixth place in the Premier League, two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham ahead of the latter's clash with Swansea and five behind Arsenal in third.
Williamson said: "It's massive, it keeps the momentum going and the dream alive of as high a finish as possible.
"If we keep playing like that and working hard then anything's possible."
