United extended their unbeaten league run to eight games on Saturday - but had to be content with a single point after giving lowly City a two goal start.

Another 52,000+ crowd were left aghast when striker Aaron Wilbraham was given the freedom of the Newcastle box to head in - home fans and players alike seemingly waiting for an offside flag that never materialised.

And when Paul Dummett's header back to Karl Darlow ten minutes later was mis-handled by the goalkeeper and David Cotterill walked the ball into the vacant Gallowgate End net, a fifth home league loss of the season looked a distinct possibility for the Magpies.

However, the black and white comeback began just before the hour, when Christan Atsu's low cross from the left was forced home by Jonjo Shelvey, City defender Korey Smith getting the final touch.

Parity was duly restored when an 82nd minute corner was headed home by Ciaran Clark, but what seemed like an inevitable winner failed to materialise despite waves of Newcastle attacks and decent chances for both Aleksandar Mitrovic and Shelvey in the closing moments.

City's ludicrous time-wasting tactics infuriated Rafa Benitez, but referee Chris Kavanagh saw fit to add only four additional minutes before blowing for time, despite City making a substitution during added time. The same official had added on almost ten minutes on our trips to both Preston and Brentford earlier in the season but must have been on a promise today.

While grateful that a point was saved from a two-goal deficit, the tests that lie ahead made this a must win game but United largely wasted the first 45 minutes - in addition to conceding twice.

Another Karl Darlow error proved to be costly - with his eagerness to come charging off the line almost allowing City to score a third in the opening half. 

There are question marks again too regarding the suitability of both Ayoze Perez and Mitrovic for the task at hand. Neither impressed today - the latter toppling over early in the second half after evading the last man rather than testing the goalkeeper.

Why Rafa failed to replace him with Daryl Murphy in the closing stages was baffling - the Serbian looking a spent force well before the equaliser.

As for Perez, his neat footwork often precedes a frustrating lack of positivity, strength and general gumption. Some weak shooting also suggests he needs some intensive coaching in the art of forward play, although he did graze the bar with one good effort from outside the box.

The lead in the Championship changed hands between ourselves and Chris Hughton's mob for the fifteenth time so far a few hours after full time at SJP; Brighton beating Reading 3-0 at home to least keep the Royals ten points adrift. A second half equaliser meanwhile denied the Terriers a seventh successive league victory, as they were held 1-1 at Oakwell by Barnsley.

Rafa remains of the opinion that April is the real shakedown period, but by the time we gather here again for the visit of Fulham a trio of season-defining visits to Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading
will have tested our away durability. 

And for all the pleasure that extending our enviable record of winning on the road would bring, the importance of not giving any of those teams a three point donation is paramount. Safety first.  

Biffa