Peter Crouch scored in the final minute as Stoke City earned a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United this afternoon.
Jack Colback drilled a strike into the corner to give the Magpies the lead with 16 minutes of the match left.
However, they wasted their chances to score a second and were made to pay as Crouch headed in Geoff Cameron's cross to ensure the game finished level.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at St James' Park.
Match Statistics:
NEWCASTLE UNITED:
Shots 9
On Target 3
Possession 42%
Corners 5
Fouls 14
STOKE CITY:
Shots 7
On Target 3
Possession 58%
Corners 8
Fouls 17
Was the result fair?
On the balance of play a draw is probably the fair result. Newcastle will be frustrated that they weren't able to hold out for a win and they had plenty of chances to seal the points. However, Stoke will point to an incident involving Colback, where the midfielder fouled Victor Moses having already been shown a card. He escaped another yellow and just moments later opened the scoring. In truth there was a real lack of quality going forward from each side, in a match that looked as if it would finish goalless until late on.
Newcastle United's performance
The Magpies may not have seen too much of the ball, but they used it far better than their opponents. They looked extremely dangerous on the break and they seemed content to soak up the pressure before launching counter-attacks. As the game wore on they became the more dominant force and they were well on top when they made the breakthrough. They then had glaring chances to put the game beyond any doubt in the final minutes, but they could not find the target and soon after Crouch made them pay.
Stoke City's performance
As mentioned above, Stoke enjoyed the vast majority of the possession and it looked as if they were the home side for large periods of the encounter. They pegged Newcastle back deep inside their own half, but were unable to create many decent chances. In fact, their only attempt on goal came from a Moses header in first-half stoppage time. After the break they were second best and only after conceding did they start to offer any goal threat. Credit must be given to Mark Hughes though, as he brought Crouch on in the final minutes and the big striker paid him back with a towering header to salvage a point at the death.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Remy Cabella: This was a tough one to call, but we've gone for the French midfielder who looks as if he is starting to find his best form for Newcastle. He was involved in all of his team's best moves throughout the afternoon and he came close with a header that was well saved by Asmir Begovic in the first half.
Biggest gaffe
Obertan and Perez must take the shared blame for wasting chances to score a second for Newcastle. Obertan made a complete mess of a pass to Moussa Sissoko, before Perez blazed over the bar just moments later. They both proved to be crucial misses, as within minutes Stoke had pegged them back.
Referee's performance
Kevin Friend had a busy afternoon and he handed out no less than six yellow cards. His most controversial decision was to not send off Colback for a foul on Moses as soon after the midfielder scored for Newcastle.
What next?
Newcastle United: The Magpies will come up against their former manager Alan Pardew on Wednesday evening as they make the trip to Crystal Palace.
Stoke City: The Potters are also in action on Wednesday, where they will welcome Manchester City to the Britannia Stadium.
Alex Meyers
