18 mins: Shearer 1-0

24 mins: Hartson 1-1

Half time: Wombles 1 Magpies 1

Full time: Wombles 1 Magpies 1

Ruud Gullit said:
 
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Guardian match report:

Alan Shearer extended his excellent goalscoring run with his 151st Premiership goal as the players and pundits who all but wrote him off earlier this season were further silenced at Selhurst Park. 

The Newcastle striker would have claimed his latest goal as the winner but for John Hartson starting what he hopes will be a late run of goals for himself and Wimbledon. Shearer certainly did enough, though, to ensure that he will be the player Hungary are most likely to fear when they play England on Wednesday.

Joe Kinnear, the recovering Wimbledon manager, got his licence back last week and took the opportunity during a visit to the training ground to point out that Newcastle had never won at Wimbledon, since the south London side was elected to the Football League in 1977 and it was time to pull their collective finger out after a current run of just one win in 17 games.

Doctors have advised him to stay away from matches for the rest of this season, but he was not going to let his players continue to get away with their recent poor form without reminding them that he was monitoring their every move. Fortunately for Kinnear, he also got his passport and he took his wife Bonnie to Portugal yesterday, so was unlikely to have yet seen his defence open up for Newcastle's first goal.

Wimbledon had started well and were on top as they created good early chances for Gayle, Earle and Euell. But they wasted their hard work when Dietmar Hamann was allowed space to cross from the left in the 18th minute and Shearer got goal side of Kenny Cunningham to head home.

That marked the England captain's 20th of the season and fifth in four games, but Wimbledon's much-needed equaliser was more significant to its scorer.

The Welsh international reacted quickest when Shay Given palmed away Ceri Hughes' well-struck drive to finish from a tight angle. That marked his first Wimbledon goal since signing from West Ham in a deal which could eventually be worth £7 million.

All reports suggest that the goal, and any others which may follow, is worth £10,000 to Hartson alone as part of his inspirational contract. He was an inspiration to his team-mates too as Wimbledon continued to stay on top and so nearly took the lead just before half-time when a Euell shot bobbled past Given a foot wide.

The match gave off an overwhelming whiff of a stale, end-of-season, mid-table affair as the second half progressed - probably because that is exactly what this game was in terms of significance to the Premiership. Not that there was really a noticeable lack of effort from any of the players; it is just that there was no real edge or obvious incentive for either side.

Biffa