"Smithy was all over Alassane and anywhere else on the pitch that's a foul, but that ref (Andy D'Urso) has never given me much over the years," said Neil Warnock.
"We never really gave ourselves a chance. The goals were a disgrace at this level but you get punished by good players."
Newcastle caretaker boss Chris Hughton wants an end to the uncertainty surrounding the club so they can build on their impressive start to life in the Coca-Cola Championship.
The Magpies will on Monday find out whether owner Mike Ashley has managed to sell the club, with Alan Shearer still waiting in the wings to take over as manager.
But Hughton is putting forward a strong case to stay in charge himself, having guided the Magpies to a third successive win with a battling 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace.
Newcastle are second in the table and Hughton feels that, with a couple of additions, they can mount a genuine bid to bounce back to the Premier League.
"We are not far off. We have quality here," said Hughton.
"The decision the club have to make is whether it is enough to compete if we pick up a few injuries - there will be a time when we are stretched."
Steven Taylor played at Selhurst Park despite being linked with Everton this week, and Hughton is hopeful of keeping hold of the centre-half.
Hughton's own future remains up in the air, but the former Tottenham defender will keep running the ship until he is told otherwise.
"I'm hoping we don't lose any more players but that is something that will only be determined over the next week," he added.
"At this moment we are waiting for a decision to be made on whether the club is sold, or what will happen if the club is not sold.
"I'm very happy to be in this position and very happy to do this job for as long as I am asked to.
"It's not about me putting down a marker for the job, it's about winning games for this club and the players have responded."