Referee Atkinson ruled Mike Williamson chopped down Tevez but TV replays suggested that if it was a foul, which was debatable, it took place outside the area.
Then the referee ignored Joleon Lescott's lunge on Shola Ameobi which seemed a certain penalty.
Chris Hughton: "It is an injustice that we have come out of the game with a result like that.
"Games like this are difficult enough but you need decisions to go your way and with those two incidents, the referee made two horrendous ones."