An extraordinary afternoon at Gallowgate concluded with a victory photo call in the home dressing room - although the RVI may have been a more suitable location for Eddie Howe's battered players.

To say this match had everything scarcely does it justice: whole seasons have passed by with less incident than was contained in 113 memorable minutes of bravery, controversy and stupidity.

Ten-man Newcastle went ahead, surrendered that lead to trail 1-3 and then recovered to win despite losing players to injury at a rate of knots before finishing up a man short after a dismissal.

Here's our immediate post-match attempt at documenting the madness:

3 mins: Anthony Gordon goes down following a needless foul in the box by Vladimir Coufal.

6 mins: Following a prolonged VAR check to decide that Gordon wasn't offside, Alexander Isak rams home his penalty conversion at the Leazes End. 1-0

11 mins: Jamaal Lascelles goes to ground on the edge of his own box but continues after treatment, waving away the offer of a stretcher.

17 mins: Lascelles pulls up unable to continue and is replaced by Emil Krafth. He goes to right back with Tino Livramento switching to left back and Dan Burn partnering Fabian Schar in the centre.

21 mins: Lucas Paqueta's through ball sets Michail Antonio clear in the Newcastle half and he strides forward before beating Martin Dubravka. 1-1

37 mins: Gordon puts a free header past the post following Jacob Murphy's centre from the right.

45+5 mins: Bruno fires against the crossbar.

45+10 mins: Schar is penalised for a foul outside his own box and is still prone with a head injury when West Ham take a quick free kick -  Mohammed Kudus firing home with a rising shot. 1-2

45+12 mins: Protests by Newcastle over the West Ham goal are fruitless but another two minutes are added on to the 10 originally indicated.

46 mins: Having struggled in the closing stages of the first half with outfield players taking his kicks, West Ham goalkeeper Alphonese Areola is replaced by Lukas Fabianski. 

48 mins: A rapid West Ham counter-attack seems to catch Livramento by surprise and Kudus steams past him before playing in Jarrod Bowen 1-3.

49 mins: scenes of celebration from away fans on L7 contrast with large swathes of empty seats below them in corporate home areas, amid unconfirmed reports of a pudding malfunction.

55 mins: Livramento goes to ground under challenge on the Newcastle left and receives treatment.

56 mins: Livramento is unable to continue and is replaced by Miguel Almiron. Joe Willock also makes way for Lewis Hall, who slots in at left back.

57 mins: Krafth also appears to be in discomfort and the substitute is substituted by Elliot Anderson.

63 mins: A passage of play inside the West Ham box ends with Isak miskicking in front of goal.

65 mins: A passage of play inside the West Ham box ends with Longstaff miskicking in front of goal.

67 mins: Schar looks to have tweaked a hamstring as he makes a clearance on the right touchline. Any thoughts he had of coming off are dashed though by the sight of Almiron sitting on the halfway line. The substitute is substituted by Harvey Barnes - Newcastle's fifth and final replacement. 

69 mins: Enjoying a two goal lead, David Moyes withdraws the dangerous Antonio and replaces him with Kalvin Phillips. A West Ham social media prophet posts "4-3 incoming." 

72 mins: Gordon's ball from the right to the back post reaches Barnes but he volleys at Fabianski.

74 mins: Further attempts by Barnes and Bruno are repelled before Gordon theatrically goes down on the penalty spot under challenge from Phillips. The referee indicates that a VAR check is happening, but nobody seems particularly bothered at that point and both sides reform ahead of the restart.

76 mins: The restart is delayed and Fabianski scoops up the match ball as he wanders out of his area. Gordon goes behind the Gallowgate goal and returns with another ball that he places on the spot as the referee is invited to check the pitchside monitor.

77 mins: Penalty given, Isak dispatches in similar fashion to the first - low and right-footed to bottom left of the Gallowgate goal. 2-3.

80 mins: Gordon illegally stops a West Ham attack by clinging on to an opponent. He's booked, along with Moyes, who now appears to be in the grip of a demonic possession.

83 mins: Isak receives the ball for the umpteenth time in the centre circle and again has time to collect it, turn and attack. Barnes times his forward run impeccably and fires home. 3-3. 

85 mins: Longstaff's drilled pass from the right to the back post is just missed by Barnes as he steams in. Any contact and that's in the net.

89 mins: Gordon somehow ghosts into the box and seems to defy physics to get a shot away that's just too high.

90 mins: Barnes. Ball. Shot. Goal. Bedlam. 4-3

90 mins: touchline celebration sees Howe booked.

90+2 mins: Gordon kicks ball away, receives second booking, red card shown as he's applauded off.

90+7 mins: Kudus cross from the right to back post is met by Soucek but he chests it into side netting. Dubravka appears to be cramping up, a colleague intervenes. 

90+10 mins: Full time whistle blows.

And relax.....

Anyone looking for coherent analysis of that little lot should try somewhere else, but our instant reaction is that this victory has salvaged a season - even if the latest crop of injuries has simultaneously made our task in the remaining games much harder.

Barnes will take the plaudits for his super sub role and a goal that will exist in the minds of those present long after the the footage has been deleted. Whether he'd have been given the opportunity to have done so if Almiron remained fit is debatable. 

Both Elliot Anderson and Lewis Hall though were assets when they were introduced, Hall amply taking the opportunity presented to him. All three should be more heavily involved in the remainder of the season - injuries permitting..... 

It's timely also that Isak looked to have completed another 90 minutes without incident following his extended pitch time for Sweden. Three full games in ten days may become four in 13 though and five in 17 - running the risk of overloading that reduced his availability earlier in the season.

The parallels between these two sides were clear when they shared four goals earlier in the season and to see them collectively serving up another seven today is no shock. Most of what's good about either side isn't in their own half.

Even when two behind though, chances were always going to appear - the frustration was that we were looking as if we'd be unable to exploit West Ham's willingness to concede territory by actually testing their goalkeeper(s). Barnes emphatically altered that, leaving them both tattered and torn....

What will get largely forgotten in all of the tumult is the manner in which the Hammers went 2-1 up; a debatable refereeing decision to allow the free kick to be taken and what looks like some reflection followed by an opportunity for atonement taken when stood in front of the VAR monitor. From a defensive point of view though, it's a shambles.  

If you ever wondered why folks trek here from across the planet and the TV schedulers adore us, then today is pretty much exhibit A.

Happy Easter - feel free to insert your own line about resurrections etc.

Biffa