Profligate Shearer hands Ipswich mighty let-off

Newcastle United 2 Ipswich Town

There is no room for sentiment in football, said Newcastle manager Bobby Robson in his programme notes, but only the most black and white of hearts can have broken when, with the last mis-kick of the game, Alan Shearer scuffed the penalty and allowed Ipswich, Robson's former club, a deserved draw.

Twice Marcus Bent gave the relegation strugglers the lead and twice Shearer had goals ruled out for pushing as Ipswich – John McGreal in particular – defended as if their Premiership status depended on it. It was cruel, then, when with four minutes left, Mark Venus crumbled under Shearer's leap and the former England captain emphatically headed the equaliser. And it was crueller still when, with two seconds of the three minutes of injury time to go, Clarence Acuña tumbled under McGreal's challenge. But big-hearted Shearer gave Ipswich a League lifeline.

"If there was one player in the whole of the Premiership you would choose to take that penalty, it would be Shearer," Ipswich manager George Burley said "But it would have been unjust. We came here and matched Newcastle."

But in the first half, although Ipswich dominated, they merely shuttled the ball prettily sideways and backwards as if scared to play in their opponents' final third.

By contrast, when Newcastle stirred their stumps, their attacks were rapier-like with Nolberto Solano the cutting edge. His 26th minute header demanded a flying catch from Matteo Sereni and, best of all, his 60-yard ball flew over the defence onto Carl Cort's chest, who shot tamely at Sereni's feet. A far more venomous effort came from Shearer, a wicked, swerving shot that Sereni, at the last moment, threw over the bar as if tossing a pancake. A minute later, the former England captain had the ball in the net but was pulled up for pulling back McGreal.

After the interval, Ipswich again started the more promising – and this time the more menacing. Bent and Chris Makin conspired to break the offside trap but Marcus Stewart's shot was blocked by Nikos Dabizas. Then Sylvain Distin's lunge prevented Bent from converting a tap-in before, in the 50th minute, Stewart's deft header sent Bent away to score his seventh goal since his arrival in December.

In reply, Laurent Robert curled a Beckhamesque free-kick over the wall to equalise but Ipswich quickly regained the lead. A long ball clipped Dabizas' previously impeccable head, rolled down Andy O'Brien's thigh and fell fortuitously for Bent who nutmegged Given for a second time. "It's amazing how many times the ball goes through the keeper's legs," said Robson. "I'm going to try and buy one with three legs."

With Kieron Dyer on against his home town club for his first appearance since 19 January, Newcastle threw everything at Ipswich. Shearer had a second goal disallowed, Dabizas missed a howler and Lomana LuaLua was fractionally too high with an outrageous chip. Eventually, Ipswich crumbled, hard-hearted Shearer equalising with his first goal in six matches but then turning into a sentimental old fellow to pass up the penalty.

"He's very, very disappointed but I've told him not to be," said Robson. "I don't begrudge Ipswich their point. They made it hard for us and fought us all the way."