The unlikely figure of Paul Dummett fired a last gasp equaliser to salvage what could be a priceless point from a thoroughly entertaining game at St. James' Park on Tuesday, as Newcastle reserved one of their better performances for one of the "bigger" teams.

Pulling back from a 0-2 deficit to 2-2 and pressing for a winner, a terrific fight back looked to have been in vain when Wayne Rooney's second goal of the night put the visitors 3-2 up on 79 minutes.

Rooney had given his side the lead with a ninth minute penalty after referee Mike Dean harshly penalised Chancel Mbemba for handball from a corner - a header striking him on the arm from point-blank range but prompting no appeals from the visiting players.

An incensed home crowd were then frustrated still further by a valid penalty appeal for a challenge on Daryl Janmaat that was rejected, before Georginio Wiljnaldum got into the area but could only shoot weakly against David De Gea. 

And when Jesse Lingard doubled the score in the 38th minute it looked like another blank outing for Steve McClaren's goal-shy side. Wijnaldum however atoned for his miss three minutes before half time to send his side into the break with at least a toehold in the game and visibly lift the gloom around Gallowgate. 

Moussa Sissoko almost levelled on 52 minutes when a fabulous ball from Fabricio Coloccini found him free on the left, but despite evading Ashley Young he failed to find a way past De Gea (making his 200th appearance for the Red Devils) at the Gallowgate End.

That began a period of sustained pressure from the home side that sparked the crowd into life, and the pressure paid off midway through the second half. As a Newcastle corner kick came over, Dean pointed to the spot after Mitrovic was wrestled to the ground by Chris Smalling - a cynical view being that the ref was now aware of his two questionable earlier calls and tried to even things up.

The Serbian looked in no mood to surrender the ball and after a delay caused by Dean failing to clear visiting players out of the box, kept his head to send De Gea the wrong way from the spot. His goal celebrations in front of the Strawberry Corner included hoofing the advertising hoardings in a style reminiscent of T.Ketsbaia. Thankfully though he refrained from removing his shirt or boots....

An unforeseen and unlikely comeback inspired the home support to greater noise levels and for a few minutes the crowd seemed to forget our troubles - attacks more fluent and accompanied by roars of encouragement seldom heard in recent times.

Wijnaldum quickly had the ball in the net again but an offside had rightly already been raised and both he and Ayoze Perez saw efforts blocked as McClaren's side sensed that a famous victory was possible. Jack Colback then frustratingly passing up the chance to shoot from close range as he seemed to wait for Fellaini to clatter into him. 

Fellaini was lucky not to receive a second yellow after a kick at Coloccini, before the visitors struck on the break again to silence home voices - Rooney perfectly looping the ball home after a half clearance from Paul Dummett fell at his feet.

The extravagantly-haired Belgian looked certain to head a fourth but Elliot made a great save and as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes Sissoko sent over a cross from the right. That was repelled but when Janmaat tried, it ended up in the path of Dummett who gave it the full welly to draw his side level once again.

There was a last surge in the fourth and final minute of added time but Wijnaldum failed to find a colleague and Dean blew for full time to end an excellent contest neither side deserved to lose.

Performances of varying quality were on show, with messrs Sissoko, Tiote and Colback all struggling in a first half during which we continually lost the ball. However they all played their part in the revival and if this is the final bow for Tiote, his 143rd appearance contained at least some hints of former glories - in addition to reminders of why his time here is up.   

Ivan Toney's arrival late on as our only forward cover was a timely reminder of the squad issues still to be overcome this month if we're to avoid relegation. And there's the realisation that two points against tonight's mediocre opponents this season could have been six - had we been better equipped last August and not now trying to play catch-up.

Avoiding a fifth straight defeat and ending both a goal drought and spot kick famine though at least means we're not left bemoaning our bad luck yet again. 

Persistence, dogged determination and some belated good fortune combined to bring about a heartening result - and hopefully something tangible to take into Saturday's home game against a West Ham side rather more potent than when they visited last May.

Final word to Mystic McClaren, who ended Monday's pre-match press conference by saying:

"The odds are on a 0-0 draw, but it's probably gonna be 3-3, everybody breaks their duck and the floodgates open."

If he's able to see into the future, let's hope that a goalscorer soon comes into view.  

Biffa