At times Nick Pope could have been forgiven for believing he was taking on Milan single-handedly but Newcastle’s goalkeeper rose to the challenge, earning Eddie Howe’s side a perhaps slightly fortuitous point.
A combination of Pope’s multiple saves, Milanese profligacy and visiting resilience ensured Newcastle departed northern Italy wearing a cloak of respectability. Not that this was quite the return to Europe’s showpiece competition Howe had so craved.
