A goal from Kieron Dyer sent Newcastle in at half-time leading the Gunners 1-0 and giving them hope of an unlikely first win in eight games.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger opted to rest Thierry Henry and there were fears that his gamble may backfire.
Those fears were heightened on 30 minutes when Newcastle went ahead against the run of play through Dyer. Julio Baptista, playing his first match for Arsenal since September, gave away possession midway in the Magpies half.
A long ball forward by Nolberto Solano over the head of Gael Clichy landed at the feet of Dyer. He shook off the attentions of Kolo Toure before curling a ball from the left side of the area past Jens Lehmann and into the right corner of the net.
Ironically, Arsenal had begun to take control of the game just before the visitors took the lead. Wenger's side's best effort came on 23 minutes when Alex Hleb and Cesc Fabregas combined well to conjure up a smart move.
First, Fabregas slipped Helb into the Newcastle area for the Belorussian to latch onto then pull the return ball back to the young Spaniard, whose well struck shot was just inches high and wide of the right side of Given's goal.
Up until then the Gunners had created just a handful of half chances, none really threatening the fit-again Given. Hleb went closest on eight minutes but his shot from just outside the area was wide of the right post.
Robin Van Persie, playing wide left, flashed a few crosses in, but too far ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor.
The Gunners stepped up the tempo as the clock ticked towards half-time, with the mastery of Fabregas and the energy and guile of Hleb opening up the visitors.
Van Persie flashed a shot just wide of the left post on 39 minutes and then, on 44 minutes, looked to have scored from an acute angle on the right, but although his curling effort beat Given, it flew just inches wide of the left post.
Arsenal were out first after the break, seemingly eager to redress the balance. Henry, who had been warming up at half-time, was brought on for the injured van Persie.
Adebayor a superb reflex save form Given just over a minute after the restart when the ball came back to him in the Newcastle area and his first-time shot was well parried by the Irishman.
Given was in top form despite it being his first game after a long lay off. He denied Henry on 58 minutes when the Frenchman ghosted in on the left side of the area and shot across the Newcastle goal.
Wenger decided to shake things up a bit in the 63rd minute with the introduction of Theo Walcott, on for the out-of-sorts Baptista.
Cracks were beginning to be exposed in the visitors defence. On 74 minutes Henry was in a race for goal with Steven Taylor that the Newcastle man knew he could not win. Out went the defender's arm to haul back Henry, resulting in a free-kick just outside the left side of the area.
Up stepped Henry to take the kick himself and sent a curling effort over the wall, beyond Given and into the net off the under side of the bar to level the scores.
Fabrgas went close on 83 minutes with a shot from the edge of the area and Henry was frustrated by another Given save in the 85th minute when the keeper's fingertip save diverted the ball to safety.