Having begun the year by unexpected putting three goals past Manchester United, Alan Pardew's side did it again in the penultimate game of 2012 - a feat few had foreseen. Unfortunately for Newcastle though, the same back five that had kept the Red Devils at bay in January were unable to do so again, despite being aided once again by an own goal - Evans this time, not Jones. 

Taking the lead on no less than three occasions, the visitors left empty-handed after being pegged back on each occasion and then conceding a winner in the dying seconds of normal time, although an improbable nine minutes of additional time was still to be played. Behind those bare stats though lies subsequent controversy and disquiet that soon developed into a slanging match when the FA bottled out of taking decisive action.
 
At the heart of it was Alex Ferguson, who plumbed new depths here by his berating of referee Mike Dean and officials as his side bullied their way to victory. The conduct of the bespectacled septuagenarian was nothing short of a disgrace as he and his staff confronted Dean at the end of half-time and continued to rant at the nearside linesman and fourth official throughout the game.

The cause of his ire was a wrongly disputed offside call that rightly cost his side a goal - a second decision in our favour in as many league visits (after our first penalty here in over 35 years). That was obviously too much for the demented old fool who recently addressed the Harvard Business School - presumably teaching them how to blame their rivals and any passing officials.

Wearing their luminous green Euro shirt as the rain fell in sheets, the Magpies had looked full of purpose from the first whistle and Ba came close in the first minute before he strode clear soon afterwards and hit a low shot that De Gea made a mess of, allowing James Perch to rifle home.

For the next 20 minutes the visitors looked well worth their lead until Evans tapped home, but once the controversy at the other end put us back in front, Alan Pardew's side more than held their own and could even have gone in for their cuppa two goals to the good, Sylvain Marveaux striking a fabulous free-kick that bounced back off the bar, with De Gea well beaten. 

The indefensible intimidation of the officials as the teams returned to the field then continued throughout the second half when Fabricio Coloccini stood firm in the penalty area with Hernandez hopefully appealing for a spot-kick. A second equaliser was followed by the goal of the game to restore our advantage before the Red Devils picked a way through our faltering back line and left the game locked at 3-3 with 20 minutes to play.

With the Ameobis on for for Ba and Cisse (the latter not flouncing off this week), the play switched from end to end and Sammy almost put us in front again after jinking into the area and curling a low shot that bounced back off the post to the grateful De Gea - the second time we'd hit the frame.

Thereafter the game belonged to the home side though, with two glaring chances spurned, merely adding to the agony as four minutes of Fergie time was signalled and Krul then fished the ball out of his net for the fourth time in the game - the first time this season we've let in that many goals. 

Four additional minutes became nine though, when Antonio Valencia somehow avoided his second booking of the game when he went through the back of Vurnon Anita near the halfway line and almost within touching distance of referee's assistant Jake Collin - who failed to intervene.

Anita was stretchered off with an ankle problem that thankfully proved to be no worse than bruising but which will only add to our ongoing selection issues with both him and Gutierrez now unavailable for Saturday's trip to Arsenal - Williamson also suspended as a result of today's booking.

And to add insult to injury, with John Carver making his feelings known to Rio Ferdinand as the players left the field after nine minutes of added time, news of Manchester City's second successive defeat on wearyside was confirmed by the PA announcer - taking the mackems one place above us.

Almost inevitably, the manner in which this game unfolded evoked memories of the 3-4s at Anfield in 1996 and 1997: the same feelings of helplessness as the goals were conceded, the same nagging sense of impending doom before conceding the winner and that depressingly familiar gut-wrenching "just knew it" feeling when it went in just as time ran out. Can I just say that i've now had enough of these supposedly character forming episodes for several lifetimes, thanks for asking.

Perhaps the worse thing though is the life-balancing, soul-selling mental gymnastics one resorts to when holding the lead at a place like this - the footbal supporting equivalent of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil in return for an other-wordly ability to play and sing the blues. 

And thankfully we were able to resist those primeval urges to plunge headlong into the jubilant home fans, trying to knock as many of them out as possible or throttling the hordes of celebrating tourists with their newly-purchased bootleg friendship scarves (in the event we contented ourselves with a non-violent pre-match protest of spoiling people's photos by pacing back and forth past the "three disgraces statue" commemorating a Belfast pisspot, a squinty jock and an Ashington turncoat). 
 
No points then and more players lost, but a brave and committed performance should have brought some reward and easily have seen the 40-year winless streak halted. Given some of the dark days here in years past, this was a display to be proud of, albeit with some nightmare defending.

While Arsenal enjoyed their questionable Boxing Day break - would a Metro strike see Newcastle get a postponement we wonder? - Pardew's side must now go to the Emirates after an exhausting and traumatic defeat that leaves them languishing dangerously near the drop zone. That we played this well and left empty-handed is of scant consolation at this point. 

Quite what we've got left in the tank for the Gunners is open to question, but there is a crumb of comfort in an extra day to prepare for Everton's televised visit, by which time the window will be open and another 31 days of madness will be revving up, abetted by David Craig. Now that really is the unacceptable face of football.

Biffa