Newcastle United travelled to Norwich City tonight without a familiar face, but came up against one at Carrow Road.
Former Magpies boss Chris Hughton was hoping to guide the hosts to a second straight Premier League win for the first time this season, and his task was made easier by the absence of Yohan Cabaye from the United lineup.
The French midfielder is poised to join Paris Saint-Germain in the next 24 hours, but Newcastle did not miss him in the opening 45 minutes as they struck the woodwork twice during periods of domination.
They continued to barrage the Norwich goal but were dealt a blow when top marksmen Loic Remy saw red on 80 minutes after a clash with Bradley Johnson for which the Canaries man was also dismissed.
Neither side could break the deadlock in the final stages as Norwich, who earlier came close when Gary Hooper hit the crossbar, escaped with a point which lifts them to 11th in the Premier League table.
Below, you can read how the action unfolded, courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage.
Evening, all! There are six Premier League fixtures tonight, all being brought to you live by Sports Mole, and here we are focusing on the Carrow Road clash between Norwich City and Newcastle United.
The Magpies welcome back an old face as they prepare to let one leave, with fan-favourite Yohan Cabaye likely to have placed his last game for the club as he nears a move to PSG.
The Frenchman is not in the Newcastle lineup tonight to face a Canaries side managed by Chris Hughton, who was in charge at St James' Park for 18 months before his 2010 sacking.
Full team news coming your way shortly...
NORWICH: Ruddy; Martin, R Bennett, Bassong, Olsson; Snodgrass, Fer, Johnson, Pilkington; van Wolfswinkel, Hooper
SUBS: Bunn, Whittaker, Elmander, Garrido, Becchio, Redmond, Tettey
NEWCASTLE: Krul; Debuchy, S.Taylor, Williamson, Santon; Tiote, Sissoko, Anita; Ben Arfa, Remy, Sammy Ameobi
SUBS: Elliot, Yanga-Mbiwa, Haidara, Dummett, Gosling, Shola Ameobi, Armstrong
As expected, Cabaye misses out. Reports are claiming that the midfielder will undergo a medical in the next 24 hours ahead of completing his switch to the French champions.
In life without one of his most influential players, Alan Pardew turns to unpredictable winger Hatem Ben Arfa to provide the French flair that is missing through Cabaye's absence.
Ben Arfa will form part of a forward three that also includes compatriot Loic Remy, and Sammy Ameobi, who has been recalled to fill the void left by in-form Yoan Gouffran on the wing.
The 27-year-old has scored seven goals for the Magpies this season and Pardew has described him as his 'best value January signing', but he will have to make do without him tonight.
The final of three Newcastle alterations comes in defence, where one of their players of the season thus far, Matthieu Debuchy returns at right-back after completing a three-match suspension.
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa drops out completely as Davide Santon switches sides to occupy his usual position on the left. A depleted Magpies bench includes Dan Gosling, who returned from a loan spell at Blackpool a fortnight ago, and 16-year-old forward Adam Armstrong.
Norwich are forced into one change, with Newcastle loanee Jonas Gutierrez ineligible to face his parent club, and so Anthony Pilkington comes in to replace him in a wide midfield position.
Pilkington has been linked with a £3m move to Swansea City, but continues to be an important player for Hughton, unlike another whose future at Carrow Road is far from certain...
Wes Hoolahan has handed in a transfer request as he looks to force through a move to Aston Villa, something that could seemingly still go ahead with the playmaker left out of the squad tonight.
Centre-back Sebastian Bassong is another who faces his former club, but it has been at the other end where the Canaries have had most of their problems. This evening, Hughton again pairs Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper up front in his search for goals.
It isn't all bad news for Newcastle fans in terms of the transfer market, though. Borussia Monchengladbach's Dutch striker Luuk de Jong was in Tyneside on Tuesday to tie up an initial loan deal.
Norwich are also expected to be active before the deadline on Friday. Newcastle defender Steven Taylor and Blackburn's Scott Dann have both been linked with a move to East Anglia.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Norwich have won only one of the five meetings between these two sides since their return to the Premier League in 2011 and have not tasted victory against the Magpies in four games. Remy and Gouffran were on the scoresheet as Newcastle won the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier this term.
ONE TO WATCH: Ricky van Wolfswinkel has not netted in the Premier League since the opening day of the season and Hughton needs him to start firing to help Norwich move clear of relegation trouble. It will be interesting to see how he combines with Hooper this evening, and whether that partnership can yield the goals that the Canaries are desperate for.
PREDICTION: Newcastle have been fairly good on the road this season but will undoubtedly miss the presence of Cabaye in midfield. They still have enough creativity in the team tonight to trouble Norwich, but I think that the Canaries will battle hard for a draw.
We are underway at Carrow Road...
SHOT! Sissoko rolls the ball into Remy's feet and goes for the return, but the striker instead turns away from Ryan Bennett and sends a curling effort a few yards wide of the post. A good early sighter for the QPR loanee, who is probably the main man at Cabaye-less Newcastle.
Another Newcastle attack starts with Sissoko, who drifts over to the right flanks before backheeling to Ben Arfa. He goes on a run, squeezes past a couple of Norwich defenders but is then muscled off the ball by Leroy Fer. A bright start this from the Magpies.
Newcastle advance through the centre as Vurnon Anita releases Sammy Ameobi. He has space to run into and does before flicking to his left for Remy, who is fouled by Bennett on the edge of the box.
The free kick is in real Cabaye territory (sorry to keep mentioning him Newcastle fans), but Santon takes on the responsibility, not with any success on this occasion as he strikes into the wall. The rebound comes to Debuchy, who takes a touch before firing over the crossbar from 30 yards.
Anita chips a ball over the top of Olsson for Debuchy to run onto. The Norwich full-back easily reaches it first, but panics under pressure from the Frenchman and knocks it behind for a corner.
Deft feet by the younger of the Ameobi brothers on the left flank, as he drags the ball back through his dangly legs to fool Russell Martin and draw a foul out of the versatile Norwich defender.
A quarter of an hour in and the hosts are yet to remotely threaten Tim Krul. I don't think the Newcastle keeper has touched it with his hands yet, which is evidence of Norwich's problems all season.
Slightly better from the Canaries as Hooper smartly turns away from a couple of Newcastle bodies by the left byline. He passes inside to van Wolfswinkel to shift it onto Fer, who drives some distance wide in the end. It took a deflection, though, so Hughton's side have a corner to attack.
SAVE! Best chance of the game so far and it falls to the man Newcastle would want it to - Remy. The ball is slipped inside Olsson for Sissoko to run onto and he squares for his French compatriot, who tries a cushioned finish into the bottom corner which Ruddy parries away.
WOODWORK! Newcastle nearly take the lead through a freak goal as Remy creates some space to cross coming off the left flank. Sissoko makes a run, only for Ruddy to stretch to intercept the ball, punching it into the legs of Johnson and against the post! Johnson clears the danger.
POST! The visitors hit the woodwork for the second time in three minutes, but this time it was all their own good work! They launch a counter through Anita and then Sissoko, who finds Remy in the left channel. He runs at Bennett, who foolishly invites him to come inside and strike with his right foot, which he does, bending a shot beyond Ruddy but against the bottom of the woodwork. So close!
SAVE! Newcastle are really building some pressure now. Ben Arfa shows off some clever skill in the middle of the Norwich half, feinting to go one way and then going the other to wrong-foot Johnson and then unleash a 30-yard shot. It would have been easy pickings for Ruddy, had it not been for the deflection off Bassong, which took it to his right and forced him into a good diving stop.
Pardew will be delighted with the way his side are playing, but perhaps a little concerned that they do not have the lead that their performance so far deserves. They have already had 10 attempts on goal and would like to convert one into a goal as soon as possible. Norwich will surely improve before long.
Brilliant feet by Ben Arfa on the left as shows superb balance to dances through Snodrgass and Johnson, only then to see his cutback intended for Remy intercepted by Bennett near the penalty spot.
Remy goes down clutching his head, but referee Chris Foy allows play to continue and Norwich counter down the left. Van Wolfswinkel travels with it but then hopefully prods a cross into the legs of Taylor. He must do better. Meanwhile, Remy seems to have a bloodied mouth...
Replays show us that Bennett accidentally caught Remy in the mouth with his knee while following through with a clearance. It was not a foul, just an unfortunate clash which has left Newcastle's top goalscorer requiring treatment. Pardew appears a concerned man on the touchline.
Remy is okay to continue, though, and is immediately back in the action here. Poor defending from Norwich as Bennett and Martin allow a long punt to travel between them. Remy anticipates the miscommunication and latches onto the ball and again looks to shift onto his right foot and bend into the far corner. The Canaries have got a couple of bodies back on this occasion though and make the block.
Anita tackles Snodgrass and in the process pokes the ball towards Santon, who heads back for Krul to come and collect, and after some hesitation he does so under pressure from van Wolfswinkel.
MISS! A lovely Newcastle break as Ameobi plays a smart pass inside to Remy before beating the offside trap to collect the return. Ameobi gets to the byline and fizzes a cutback to Ben Arfa, who is unmarked as he meets it 15 yards out, but scuffs a shot into the ground and over the bar.
SHOT! Norwich register their first shot on target of the match as, after a slow passing move, Hooper decides to take the impetus himself and drive powerfully towards the bottom corner from around 25 yards out, where Krul, surprised by the early taking of the strike, reacts well to palm away.
We will have TWO minutes of stoppage time at the end of this first half...
HALF-TIME: NORWICH 0-0 NEWCASTLE
We are goalless at the break but I don't quite know how! Newcastle have been all over Norwich from the first whistle and have hit the post twice, but not been able to find an opening goal as of yet.
UPDATE: Liverpool are running riot in the Merseyside derby! They are three up inside 40 minutes at Anfield, with Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge [two] inflicting the damage on Everton.
Newcastle could easily have had three themselves. Loic Remy struck the post a couple of minutes after the ball had bounced off Bradley Johnson and onto the woodwork. Remy has had a couple of other sights at goal, while Hatem Ben Arfa missed the half's best chance minutes before the interval.
STATS: Newcastle's dominance is firmly reflected in the match figures, with Newcastle having a staggering 16 attempts on goal, but rather disappointingly, only two on target. Norwich have only called Tim Krul into action once - a 43rd-minute Gary Hooper shot.
We are back underway in East Anglia...
Norwich take a throw-in on the left wing and the ball bounces into the path of Van Wolfswinkel, who shifts the ball out of his feet and unleashes a 20-yard shot which may have just been sneaking inside the far post before Taylor made a block, which he didn't know much about, for a corner.
Remy certainly has a preference for cutting inside and trying to bend the ball, Henry-esque, into the far corner. He tries it again here, but again finds a Norwich body in his way.
PENALTY APPEAL! The Newcastle players plea for a spot kick after Ben Arfa goes to ground under the challenge of Bennett. There was no contact from the Norwich man and Ben Arfa ends up stumbling over his own feet. In fairness, the Frenchman did not appeal to referee Chris Foy, who analysed the situation well by not pointing to the spot or booking Ben Arfa for diving.
BOOKING: Ruddy screams in frustration after Sissoko blocks his attempts to launch a Norwich break with a quick kick from his hands. Referee Foy responds to his complaints and cards the Frenchman.
This time there definitely is contact on Ben Arfa, but outside of the box as Van Wolfswinkel trips him right on the edge of the box. This is a very similar position from where Santon hit the wall in the first half, and again Newcastle fans yearn for set-piece specialist Cabaye.
CROSSBAR! They would soon have forgotten about the departing midfielder's set-piece magic had that gone in! Remy, and not Santon this time, takes charge of the free kick and strikes it beautifully, but with not quite enough dip for it to sneak under the crossbar of Ruddy's goal, with the Norwich keeper seemingly beaten despite diving the right way. The woodwork denies Newcastle for a third time!
BENCH WATCH: Both managers will be pondering substitutions at this stage of the game. Hughton has pacey winger Nathan Redmond available to him if he wishes to stretch the play in the final stages, while Pardew may introduce the more senior of the Ameobi brothers as an extra body in the box.
SHOT! More clever feet from Ben Arfa earns his side another free kick in a promising position as Fer brings him down, and the Frenchman wants to take this one himself. It is a decent effort, not quite as good as Remy's mind, and is whipped over the wall left-footed, but onto the roof of the net.
Newcastle have their eighth corner of the afternoon and for the first time it yields a half chance at goal. Ameobi attacks it, but cannot get over his header which loops harmlessly over.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Two changes from Norwich which Hughton hopes will inject some life into their stale attacking play. Van Wolfswinkel, underwhelming again, and Pilkington make way for Nathan Redmond and Johan Elmander, who has not yet scored in the Premier League for the Canaries.
Ben Arfa embarks on another mazy run only to be muscled off the ball by strong defending from Martin Olsson. He appears to have picked up an injury in the collision, though, and requires treatment.
SUBSTITUTION: Shola Ameobi enters the fray for the final 15 minutes as Ben Arfa limps off the pitch, which will be a concern to Pardew with the Tyne-Wear derby their next top-flight match.
WOODWORK! The frame of the goal denies us an opening goal again, but this time it is Norwich who strike the crossbar! Redmond has shown more intent in the seven minutes that he has been on the pitch than either van Wolfswinkel or Pilkington did, and he twists his way free of Anita to cross low into the box. It bounces off Elmander and falls to Hooper, who volleys off the crossbar. Krul was beaten, but saved by a deflection off Santon.
RED CARDS! Both Loic Remy and Bradley Johnson have been sent off! There's a bit of a melee during which they each shove each other in the chest and then end up going head-to-head. Remy shoves his head towards Johnson who overreacts, playing up to the referee. Chris Foy reacts by showing the Newcastle man a red card, but after consultation with the assistant referee, Foy also dismisses Johnson. We have 10 vs. 10 for the final stages, but that was mountains made out of molehills by both the players and the officials.
SUBSTITUTION: Norwich fans do not like this. Boos greet the arrival of Alexander Tettey, because his introduction into the Canaries midfield is at the expense of Hooper, who was probably the only man likely to snatch the hosts a winning goal this evening.
SUBSTITUTION: Massadio Haidara replaces Sammy Ameobi which is a substitution that shows Pardew's lack of attacking options on the bench. An injury to Ben Arfa and a suspension to Remy won't help this problem in the coming weeks.
CHANCE! Norwich have a real opportunity to steal the points as Elmander crosses to the near post, where Snodgrass is there to meet the delivery with a diving header that Krul blocks. A great chance for the Scottish winger who has been starved of the ball all evening - until then!
We are going to have SIX minutes of second-half stoppage time due to the delays caused by Ben Arfa's injury and the two red cards. Can either team find what would surely be a winning goal?
With the amount of times the ball has come off the woodwork tonight, and the lack of chances in this lengthy period of stoppage time, you just get the feeling that this one is destined to finish goalless.
FULL-TIME: NORWICH 0-0 NEWCASTLE
That will be one of the more eventful 0-0 draws you are likely to see. The woodwork was struck four times, three times by Newcastle, and there were two sendings off, but no goals at Carrow Road.
It was a pretty one-sided affair from the first whistle, with Newcastle registering 22 attempts throughout, but they could not find the goal that their dominance deserved. It's a decent point for Chris Hughton's side, but that won't fool him into thinking this performance was good enough.
Loic Remy and Bradley Johnson were the two men to take early baths. Both were dismissed by referee Chris Foy after a bit of a nothing incident during which there was pushing and shoving and heads coming together. Such is the nature of the game today, though, that players are always risking punishment when they clash in such a way.
The draw is not enough for Norwich to climb into the top half of the table. They leapfrog Hull into 11th, while Newcastle remain eighth but lose ground on their rivals for European qualification.
That's it from me on a night where Newcastle fans will go home cursing their luck! Thanks for joining Sports Mole, and be sure to come back for tomorrow's Premier League games. Until next time...
