Newcastle United and Burnley were forced to share the points as the two sides played out a dramatic 3-3 draw at St James' Park.

A Paul Dummet own goal cancelled out Steven Taylor's early header, but Newcastle were back in front before the break when Jack Colback fired home.

An improved Burnley display after the break shocked the hosts as Danny Ings headed home the equaliser.

It looked like Newcastle had snatched the win when Moussa Sissoko restored Newcastle's lead, but George Boyd scored Burnley's third equaliser in the 86th minute to earn the point.

Below, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the game.

Match statistics

NEWCASTLE
Shots: 10
On target: 4
Possession: 52%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 12

BURNLEY
Shots: 15
On target: 4
Possession: 48%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 13

Was the result fair?

On a day when no scoreline would have come as a surprise, a draw was probably a fair result. Newcastle dominated proceedings early on, and only Dummett's own goal kept them from pulling away from the Clarets in the first half. It was a confident start from the hosts, but Burnley were never out of the game. After the break Burnley reacted impressively, and they showed great desire to equalise on three occasions. A point each was fair.

Newcastle's performance

It was promising early on, but in the end John Carver was left frustrated and there were jeers at the final whistle. It looked like Carver was getting the best out of the players as Newcastle dominated in the first half, led by the impressive Sissoko, who was the game's best player. The attack was lively despite the loss of Papiss Cisse, but the likes of Ayoze Perez and Yoann Gouffran faded after the break. Burnley put the hosts under pressure, and they crumbled when it mattered most as three lapses of concentrations allowed the visitors to get back in the game.

Burnley's performance

You rarely hear Sean Dyche talk negatively about his side anyway, but he won't have a bad word to say about the players today. Despite starting slowly, the reaction after the break was absolutely superb. Danny Ings and Ashley Barnes had been left frustrated in the first half, but both played key roles in attack to help Burnley back into the game, with the former once again displaying his threat in the box.

The loss of Jason Shackell, Dean Marney and Kevin Long to injury before the break had a big impact, and it took Burnley a long time to recover. However, they hit back and probably should have taken the lead after getting it back to 2-2. On another day they could have scored four or five, with Dyche's side somehow managing to hit the woodwork on four occasions. It looked like Sissoko's strike would kill off their challenge, but there was one final push from the Clarets as Boyd secured a deserved point.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Moussa Sissoko: The Frenchman will be disappointed not to have ended on the winning side, but his performance was something to be admired. Burnley simply did not know how to handle his power in the middle of the park. He repeatedly threatened by carrying the ball forward from deeper positions, and he capped off a fine display with a good finish for Newcastle's third goal.

Biggest gaffe

There's only one winner for this honour. There looked to be no danger when Paul Dummett was asked to deal with a hopeful ball forward from the visitors, but a moment of madness from the defender saw him head over Jak Alnwick to score a quite incredible own goal.

Referee performance

Mike Dean managed to get through his afternoon without being involved in any controversy. It was a solid performance from the man with the whistle.

What next?

Newcastle: Carver is likely to still be in charge when Newcastle take on Leicester in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Burnley: The Clarets have to wait until Monday to start their FA Cup campaign as they host Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor.