Late own goal denies West Bromich Albion rare win as Newcastle United come back to pinch a point

West Brom 2 Newcastle 2 A late own goal, which appeared to come off Jonny Evans, meant the Baggies squandered a winning opportunity having been two goals in front

Jonjo Shelvey celebrates Newcastle's equalising goal (Getty)

Alan Pardew will take charge of a West Bromwich Albion side without a Premier League win since August after they squandered a 2-0 lead in Gary Megson’s final game in caretaker charge.

The popular former manager signed off his unexpected second spell at the helm in frustrating fashion as a Jonny Evans own goal completed a Newcastle comeback.

Pardew will take charge later this week of a side winless in 12 league games. But it had looked like that depressing run would end when Hal Robson-Kanu and teenager Sam Field put them 2-0 up.

Newcastle looked beaten until Ciaran Clark’s free header from a Matt Ritchie corner halved the Baggies’ lead. And another Ritchie free-kick then struck Rondon and beat Ben Foster to give Rafa Benitez’s side a point and end their run of four straight defeats.

Salomon Rondon started brightly for West Brom, turning powerfully on halfway and holding off two challenges before winning a free-kick. He attempted to get his head to a cross from Matt Phillips that came indirectly from the resulting free-kick but the ball flew over his head.

Ritchie then screwed a shot wide of goal after cutting into the penalty area from the right for Newcastle. Rondon was at the heart of more encouraging play as West Brom won a free-kick 25 yards out, but the striker blasted it into the Newcastle wall.

West Brom then flirted with embarrassment when they made a mess of dealing with a simple cross from Ritchie.

Goalkeeper Ben Foster looked odds-on to claim it before he was obstructed by team-mate Ahmed Hegazi, forcing him to spill the ball. Fortunately for the hosts, the Egyptian rectified his error by clearing off the line.

Sam Field scores to put West Brom two goals up (Getty)

Rondon was then close to meeting another cross by Phillips before giving Newcastle a real scare from distance. He let fly from 30 yards after being given space to weigh up his options, with his effort skimming the crossbar on its way for a goal-kick.

Ritchie then sent a shot wide for Newcastle, for whom Isaac Hayden then tried his luck from the edge of the box with a shot that Foster claimed. Darlow then had to take a catch at full-stretch for the visitors when West Brom striker Hal Robson-Kanu got his head to a cross by Hegazi.

And Robson-Kanu missed a decent chance at the near post when he fired wide from a Rondon cross. But he scored at the third time of asking to give his side the lead on the stroke of half-time.

A fine crossfield pass by Jonny Evans created the opening by releasing Kieran Gibbs, whose cross from the left was nodded home by Robson-Kanu.

Field, the Stourbridge-born midfielder, was in ecstasy on 56 minutes when he grabbed his first senior goal for the club his family supports. He produced a crisp left-footed volley at the far post from a fabulous cross by Phillips.

But just three minutes later the game was back in the balance when Clark rose to head home a Ritchie corner. And it was Ritchie again who laid on the winner on 83 minutes with a free-kick. It hit Rondon, whose tame attempt at a block only resulted in a deflection past a helpless Ben Foster.

Newcastle pressed for a winner but West Brom at least held firm to give Megson an unbeaten stint in temporary charge.

West Brom (3-5-2): Foster 6; Nyom 6, Hegazi 5, Evans 7; Phillips 7, Livermore 7, Barry 6 (Yacob 67), Field 7 (Krychowiak 84), Gibbs 7 (McClean 80); Rondon 7, Robson-Kanu 7. Subs not used: Myhill, Burke, Rodriguez, McAuley.

Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Darlow 6; Yedlin 5, Lejeune 5, Clark 6, Mbemba 6; Hayden 6 (Shelvey 80), Merino 7; Ritchie 7, Perez 6, Murphy 6; (Aarons 65) Joselu 6 (Mitrovic 73). Subs not used: Elliot, Shelvey, Gayle, Diame, Manquillo.