Colback gave Newcastle the lead in the 74th minute at St James' Park with a low strike into the bottom-left corner from just inside the penalty area.
The goal came three minutes after the former Sunderland midfielder had escaped a second booking for a foul on Victor Moses, although Stoke subsequently grabbed a point courtesy of Peter Crouch's 90th-minute header.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes expressed frustration at referee Friend's decision, but Newcastle head coach Carver was quick to leap to his defence.
"I think the referee has used his common sense," Carver told Sky Sports. "Jack's not a nasty guy. He's competitive and he has to be, but it works both ways.
"I think one or two of those lads on the Stoke City team got away with one or two things. It does even itself out."
Carver criticised his side's play in the lead-up to Stoke's late leveller and called for Newcastle to be more adventurous in attack.
"I thought we'd stole the three points but we shot ourselves in the foot," he added.
"We've got possession in the final third, I think there's about two minutes [left] on the clock, and I think we've played four or five passes back to the goalkeeper.
"We're out of shape, the goalkeeper kicks it, they pick up the ball, they break on us, they put it in the box and it's in the back of the net.
"At 1-0 when we were leading and we had two great chances.
"Gabby [Gabriel] Obertan had a great chance and could have put them out of sight and then Ayo [Ayoze] Perez with a bit of individual skill had a great opportunity, usually slots them in the bottom corner but on this occasion he sent it high and wide.
"I thought we defended extremely well, we've just got to be a little bit more ambitious when we're going forward."
