SUNDERLAND 1 NEWCASTLE 1
SUNDERLAND: Gordon, Onuoha (Zenden 75), Bramble, Ferdinand, Bardsley, Elmohamady (Colback 88), Henderson, Richardson,Malbranque, Gyan, Bent.
Subs Not Used: Mignolet, Angeleri, Da Silva, Riveros, Reid.
NEWCASTLE: Harper, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique, Barton, Nolan, Smith (Guthrie 37),Gutierrez (Gosling 90), Best (Lovenkrands 88), Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Krul, Routledge, Perch, Ranger.
Att: 47,864
Heart-breaking? You could say that, as the Scum were out-played, out-fought and out-thought ... and a lucky goal from disco-dancing Asamoah Gyan got Sunderland out of jail.
Looking like a transvestite (more female than male), deep into stoppage time he didn't know what the hell hit him as Steve Harper punched out a shot and it bounced off his chest into an empty net.
The Mackems, who had hardly uttered a word after Magpies skipper Kevin Nolan scored in the 52nd-minute with a back-heel, celebrated as though it was the 1973 FA Cup final all over again.
With the clock having ticked into the fourth minute of injury time, many Mackems had given up the ghost and left, but Gyan nudged the ball over the line after Harper could only parry Phil Bardsley's shot to snatch a point his side barely deserved.
Newcastle dominated the game but the Magpies, without Andy Carroll leading the line, had been unable to convert a series of good chances which had come their way.
The visitors could have been ahead with just three minutes gone after Joey Barton carved open the home defence.
His floated ball over the top allowed Shola Ameobi to beat the Black Cats' offside trap and bear down on Gordon, but although his shot beat the Scotland international, it ran agonisingly wide of the post.
Sunderland responded and Darren Bent might have opened the scoring three minutes later after being played in by Steed Malbranque.
However, after cutting inside central defender Fabricio Coloccini, who otherwise enjoyed an impressive first half, the England striker saw his shot blocked by Harper's foot.
Newcastle threatened once again with 12 minutes gone when, after Barton's corner had been half-cleared, Coloccini fired towards the bottom corner and Kieran Richardson hacked off the line.
Harper had to get down smartly to keep out Malbranque's 18th-minute drive and Nolan's block accounted for Jordan Henderson's well-struck effort from distance in injury time, although Ameobi had earlier headed over from another Barton corner.
Bent had a glimpse of goal four minutes after the restart when he ran on to Bardsley's long ball, but with Harper advancing to meet him, he lifted his lob over the keeper but wide of the post.
The miss proved costly within three minutes when Ameobi got up above Anton Ferdinand to meet Barton's corner and head down for Nolan to back-heel audaciously past Gordon from point-blank range.
Sunderland were in some disarray as Newcastle dominated possession, although Harper was relived to see Richardson deflected Ahmed Elmohamady's driven 66th-minute cross wide.
The home side lacked any real guile or craft and the game seemed to be in the bag
With Coloccini and central defensive partner Mike Williamson in imperious form against an impotent strike-force of Bent and Gyan, the minutes ticked away with little sign of an equaliser.
But four minutes into injury time Harper failed to hold Bardsley's shot and Gyan bundled the ball home from close range to spare his side's blushes.
It was all too much for one home fan who was arrested on the pitch after making his way over to Harper and there were ugly scenes after the final whistle.