Mo Diame put Newcastle ahead in the 23rd minute when he poked home at the back post after a corner from the right hand side evaded everyone else inside the box.
Newcastle were unlucky not to make it 2-0 after Wayne Hennessey pulled off a fantastic double save from new signing Kenedy and Ayoze Perez.
However, Palace came out for the second half all guns blazing on both sides of the ball. Challenges were flying in, but it was Newcastle who were penalised for perhaps the most tame of them all.
Ciaran Clark and Christian Benteke rose to challenge for Patrick van Aanholt’s cross in the 55th minute from the left, and from nowhere the linesman flagged, and Andre Marriner pointed to the spot. Replays suggested the penalty to be soft, but Clark did have hold of Benteke’s shirt.
Karl Darlow dived the right way and got a strong hand on the resulting spot kick, but ultimately could’t stop the well placed shot from Luka Milivojevic from crossing the line.
A good point in the end. If that’s a penalty then there should be ten penalties a game! #CRYNEW #NUFC
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) 4 February 2018
Newcastle will feel more aggrieved by the inconsistency of the decisions, especially considering that a similar foul was not given their way on Jamaal Lascelles in the first half. Record Premier League goalscorer Alan Shearer (and Newcastle fan) suggested that if every instance such as this was given then there would be "ten penalties per game".
4 February 2018
From this point on it was all Palace as they launched wave after wave of attack at the Newcastle goal. Wilfried Zaha looked particularly threatening down the left hand side, but the Newcastle rearguard held firm.
A late scramble ensued as Zaha crossed to Benteke with the goal gaping, but Clark made amends and flung himself in front of the ball to block it on the line. A late Christian Atsu effort was sent wide and that was time.
4 February 2018
On balance, a point was probably a fair result for both sides, but you get the impression they will both be travelling home tonight with a sense of what could have been. Newcastle put a point between themselves and the bottom three, while Palace are 14th, two points ahead of the ‘Magpies’.