Instant Reaction: Newcastle 2-2 Hull

Newcastle had another wild home match, clawing their way back from an 0-2 deficit to earn a draw against Hull on Saturday.

The first half saw a few good chances for Newcastle, but none materialized. The Mags seemed eager to give the crowd something to cheer for in the early goings and made several attacks that looked promising. While Newcastle has had trouble getting shots on target before, they at least tested Allan McGregor into making three saves. In all, Newcastle had eleven shots in the first half, with three on target. However, the shots that did reach McGregor were weak and easily handled. In all, Newcastle enjoyed 64% of the possession, but could not find the target.

Just as the action on the field failed deliver, so did the action off the field. A planned fifth minute protest seemed extremely quiet, and the ground sounded more or less like a normal match day. Alan Pardew spent much of the first half in his technical area, despite him being chased to the dugout by boos in previous games. During the protest, Mike Ashley could be seen smirking (possibly because he already had the fans' money). While the commentators said the atmosphere was tense at the ground, that atmosphere didn't translate to TV.

The second half began with a cracking goal from Hull. Niklca Jelavic put in an outstanding scissor kick to give the Tigers the lead. The goal came after a needless give away from Newcastle, and it looked as if it would be another listless second half for the Mags.

Newcastle did respond well and had some good possession, but again could not truly threaten the net. Their lack of finishing came back to bite them in the 69th minute when Mohamed Diame put in a sensational goal of his own to double Hull's lead. On a day when Tim Krul was not tested often, it was two spectacular efforts that beat him.

Papiss Cisse made his debut on the season off the bench after the second goal and did not take long to make an impact. The striker snapped his long goal drought by slotting one home past McGregor on the near side after a lovely feed from Cheick Tiote. The crowd roared to life and Newcastle had a lifeline back into the match.

In the 87th minute, it was Cisse again to bring Newcastle level. After some lovely build-up, Yoan Gouffran left the ball off for Cisse who tapped it home for his second goal of the match.

Neither side could find the net again though. Newcastle had some late chances, including a corner in the 95th minute, but the deadlock could not be broken.

The day began with questions about how fans would react and if this was Pardew's last stand. The fans were subdued, but came alive in the second half and were in full support of the lads. Though boos did come down after Hull's goals, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. As to if this was Pardew's last stand, we'll have to wait and see. Cisse may have saved his job, at least for another week.