Newcastle 3
Crystal Palace 3

by Roger Domeneghetti

at St James’s Park

Two young, goalscoring substitutes provided the highlights in a match that left both managers frustrated they had to share the points at St James’s Park.

Rolando Aarons’s (pictured) late introduction looked to have sealed victory for Newcastle but Wilfried Zaha grabbed a dramatic equaliser deep into stoppage time. 

It was the latter’s manager, Neil Warnock, back in the Palace hot seat for just two days who ended the match the happier singing the praises of a youngster, he immediately re-signed for the Eagles on loan.

“I think it’s difficult for a young lad,” Warnock said of Zaha’s time at Old Trafford. “They are a massive club and you can get swamped as a young lad. His attitude’s fantastic and I think he just needs to be given a bit of freedom and he needs to enjoy himself.”

Enjoy himself he did as he took advantage of Newcastle’s brittle defence to grab Palace’s leveller deep into injury time. 

Palace took the lead with barely half a minute gone when Dwight Gayle hammered home from close range.

Daryl Janmaat grabbed a scruffy equaliser but just after the break Jason Puncheon was given the time and space to volley Palace in front again. 

Aarons’s introduction with 20 minutes to go seemed to swing the tide in Newcastle’s favour. 

First the 18-year-old rose to head home from a corner and with two minutes remaining he swung a cross-shot onto the inside of the far post and Mike Williamson tapped home for what looked like a winner. 

“Sometimes you need a sub to make an impact and he certainly did that,” said Pardew of Aarons. 

But the brittle nature of the home side’s defence meant there was still time for one more twist and Zaha was on hand to provide it.

Parder wasn’t too happy about the time added at the end and made his feelings clear after the match.

He said: “When a team comes here and wastes time from the moment the game kicks off on goal kicks time and time again they took ages on everything, and then they are 3-2 down and he gives them seven minutes.

“But anyway, I’m not going to bleat on about that too much. We should have won and we didn’t.”