Daniel Munoz scored a stoppage-time equaliser as Crystal Palace denied Newcastle victory at Selhurst Park to move out of the bottom three.
The Colombian full-back, who missed a glorious chance earlier to give the hosts a first-half lead, beat Nick Pope with a towering far-post header with just over 90 seconds of stoppage time left to play.
A share of the spoils was the least Palace deserved after creating the better opportunities against a Newcastle side who registered just one attempt at goal in south London – and none on target.
In a poor first half, Trevoh Chalobah fired over from long range and Ismaila Sarr forced a fine save out of Pope, before Munoz somehow failed to hit the target from Sarr’s low ball across the face of goal.
Newcastle offered next to nothing as an attacking force but took the lead eight minutes into the second half, when Marc Guehi turned Anthony Gordon’s low cross into his own net following a well-worked free-kick.
Munoz was then thwarted by a brilliant block from Magpies defender Dan Burn after Sarr’s deflected effort was saved by Pope.
Guehi was also denied by Pope from a tight angle and striker Jean-Philippe Mateta blazed over from close range.
But Guehi – a transfer target for Newcastle – and Munoz made amends for their earlier misfortune by combining for the late leveller.
England defender Guehi’s cross picked out his team-mate to head home his first Palace goal and lift them above fellow strugglers Wolves and Ipswich on goal difference.
Lack of cutting edge a worry for Palace
Palace’s tally of nine points from their first 13 matches represents their worst start to a Premier League season in six years, but boss Oliver Glasner will hope Munoz’s late equaliser will give his side the lift they need to haul themselves further away from relegation danger.
Despite being by far the better side against a toothless Newcastle, it looked as though the Eagles’ lack of cutting edge would come back to haunt them as they racked up 16 shots without breaching the visiting backline.
After Sarr was denied by a fine Pope save, Munoz should have done much better from the Senegal international’s low ball.
Newcastle’s opener came out of nothing but apart from Burn’s block to thwart Munoz, Palace looked unlikely to add to their miserly tally of three home league goals in 2024-25 until the Colombian’s first for the club since his January arrival from Genk.
Glasner’s team have now picked up three draws from their last four games in the top flight, but their inability to finish clear-cut opportunities – particularly at Selhurst Park – remains a concern.
“We have to blame ourselves that we didn’t take those chances,” Glasner, who sprinted down the touchline to celebrate Munoz’s equaliser with his players, told BBC Match of the Day. “With Newcastle’s pace in attack, you always have to take care that you don’t get [hit on] transition situations. Everyone deserved the equaliser.
“We feel we deserve a bit more [this season]. It’s not that we miss [chances] because we’re arrogant. It’s about how you deal with it. What gives me a lot of confidence is the character of the players here at Crystal Palace.
“It’s frustrating, but on the other side we know we’ll come through it together. The way we’re playing is improving game-by-game, and then the results will come.”
Palace return to action in a crunch game against Ipswich on Tuesday, before hosting Manchester City next Saturday.
Sluggish Magpies need creative spark
Unfortunately for Newcastle’s travelling fans, the Magpies started Saturday’s game the way they finished Monday’s disappointing home defeat by West Ham.
Sandro Tonali, handed his fifth league start of the season at Selhurst Park, was one of their better performers in a holding midfield role, while Fabian Schar and Burn produced a number of crucial clearances to keep Palace at bay.
But too many of their team-mates looked sluggish in and out of possession as Newcastle struggled to make any inroads whatsoever in the final third.
Indeed, they are only the eighth side on record (from the 2003-04 season) to avoid defeat in a Premier League game in which they attempted one shot or less, and the first since Leicester against the Magpies in May 2023.
There was little sign of a breakthrough from them until a well-worked free-kick routine involving Tonali and Lewis Hall ended with Guehi turning Gordon’s cross over the line.
The visitors abandoned all attacking intent late on as Palace pushed for a late equaliser, which finally came in the fourth minute of added time.
“It was a strange game,” said Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. “We didn’t have any goalmouth action, but I felt we were good in the game. I felt we nullified them pretty well. In the main, I think we controlled it pretty well.
“It’s really gutting to concede the goal at the end. I felt like we’d weathered the storm and would see the game out. We defended crosses well, but one moment cost us. In [our last] two games we’ve let a lot of points slip.”
Things are not about to get any easier for Howe’s side, with league leaders Liverpool visiting St James’ Park on Wednesday, before the Magpies head to Brentford next weekend.
