Newcastle United were forced to settle for a point after an absorbing lunchtime encounter with Leeds United at Elland Road finished 2-2.
Struggling Leeds, under the stewardship of ex-Magpies chief Sam Allardyce, hit the traps early and were in front when Nick Pope saved an early shot, allowing skipper Luke Ayling to slam in from close range.
Howe’s side, rocked by that early strike should have been 2-0 down when Joelinton’s foul on Junior Firpo gave Leeds a penalty, but Patrick Bamford’s tame effort was saved by Pope, who made up for his earlier error. United were level though, when Alexander Isak was fouled and Callum Wilson made no mistake from the spot.
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A ball into the area then saw Firpo’s arm high above his head and flick the ball away from Alexander Isak, and following a VAR check, referee Simon Hooper awarded a third spot-kick of the game.
Despite the best intentions of goalkeeper Joel Robles to distract Wilson, the Toon ace struck the ball down the middle of the net to complete the turnaround, but Rasmus Kristensen's effort cannoned in off the head of Kieran Tripper to level matters up with 12 minutes to go.
A dramatic encounter still had another twist with Firpo eventually receiving his marching orders, picking up a second yellow card for a last-man pull on substitute Antony Gordon, a result which sees United move onto 66 points with three games left to secure Champions League football, which remains firmly within their grasp ahead of Thursday night's crunch clash with Brighton at St James' Park.
Here’s what the Toon fans had to say after Howe’s men collected a point on the road.
