Shola Ameobi scored a stoppage-time equaliser as Newcastle salvaged a 1-1 draw at home with Sunderland in a typically tempestuous derby.

Ameobi hits late equaliser after two red cards and two penalties

Shola Ameobi scored a stoppage-time equaliser as Newcastle United salvaged a 1-1 draw at home with Sunderland in a typically tempestuous North East derby. The homegrown striker pounced to earn the Magpies a point after Demba Ba's miss from the penalty spot appeared set to give the Black Cats revenge for defeat at the Stadium of Light back in August. Nicklas Bendtner's first-half penalty had given the visitors the lead and referee Mike Dean's busy afternoon produced a raft of yellow cards before Stephane Sessegnon was sent off before the hour mark. A flurry of six bookings, started by Lee Cattermole's caution inside the opening minute for a crude challenge on Cheick Tiote, preceded Sunderland's opening goal on 24 minutes. Mike Williamson was yellow carded for blatantly tugging Michael Turner's shirt in the area and Bendtner, sporting a protective face mask, stepped up to convert the penalty. The temperature dipped slightly for the remainder of the first half and Newcastle came close to a leveller just before the break when Demba Ba's header came back off the bar. Sunderland attacker Sessegnon was sent off for flinging his arm into Tiote's face on 58 minutes, moments after Martin O'Neill's side had missed a golden chance to score a second goal. The Magpies then fluffed their own opportunity to score after Ba's penalty was excellently saved by Simon Mignolet following Fraizer Campbell's ill-judged challenge on fellow substitute Ameobi. Newcastle's late onslaught brought an equaliser in the 91st minute when Ameobi squeezed the ball home at the far post before Cattermole was shown the red card by Dean after the final whistle. Sunderland manager O'Neill, who was involved in angry exchanges with counterpart Alan Pardew on several occasions during a pulsating encounter, could only look on as his first derby ended with contrasting emotions.

Absorbing

The Black Cats have not fared well on Tyneside in recent seasons - they had not tasted victory at the home of their old foes since November 2000 - and went into the game with only one win in the last 14. However, from the moment Cattermole senselessly careered into Tiote with just 40 seconds gone, it was they who largely set the tempo in a first half which, if not one for the purists, was nevertheless absorbing. Amid a cacophony of noise from a packed house, the visitors enjoyed the better of the opening 45 minutes with Cattermole and Craig Gardner eclipsing Tiote and Yohan Cabaye in the middle of the field to allow Sebastian Larsson and Sessegnon to feed lone striker Bendtner. However, it was referee Dean who proved the central character as he slipped further in the estimation of the locals. Dean failed to send off Chelsea's David Luiz for a clear red card offence in December and, having already handed out five cautions inside the opening 23 minutes, he awarded the Black Cats a penalty as Williamson pulled Turner's shirt in the area as the pair jockeyed for position under Kieran Richardson's free-kick. It took several seconds for the travelling fans high up in the stands behind Mignolet's goal to understand what had happened, but their joy increased markedly when Bendtner slid the spot-kick beyond Krul's dive to open the scoring.

Grateful

Aggrieved as they were, the Magpies simply could not respond and Krul had to make a fine save to keep out Bendtner's powerfully-struck shot on the turn