Shola Ameobi equalised from the penalty spot to deny Sunderland victory at St James' Park. The Newcastle United forward's goal on 68 minutes cancelled out Djibril Cisse's first-half strike.

Mike Ashley, the Newcastle owner, attended a match for the first time since facing a fans' backlash after Kevin Keegan's departure in September, perhaps safe in the knowledge that the crowd were unlikely to show weakness in front of their rivals.

Cisse had given Sunderland a deserved lead 12 minutes before the break, although Newcastle responded well after half-time and were well worth a point. It did little to ease their relegation problems but at least kept them out of the bottom three.

Cisse's 33rd-minute strike came after Newcastle made much of the early running. Ricky Sbragia's side would have taken the lead with 20 minutes gone had Kieran Richardson's free kick not hit the post and had debutant Kevin Nolan not cleared Kenwyne Jones's follow-up off the line.

Two minutes later, Andy Carroll looped a header on to Marton Fulop's crossbar, but as Ameobi, a surprise inclusion after five games out with a knee injury, struggled to make the most of a series of half-chances, the pressure on Newcastle mounted.

Ameobi passed up a glorious opportunity when he fired high over after a good link-up down the right between Stephen Taylor and Damien Duff with 27 minutes gone, and Djibril Cisse took advantage when his chance arrived six minutes later.

He just about managed to hold his run to collect Dean Whitehead's through ball and, after Steve Harper, the Newcastle goalkeeper, had blocked his initial effort, stabbed the rebound into the empty net.

With Jones and Cisse causing problems for the home defence and Newcastle having to commit men forward in search of an equaliser, the game grew in excitement.

After the break, Nolan forced Marton Fulop in the Sunderland goal into a decent save and George McCartney cleared an Ameobi header off his goal-line before Danny Collins got in a vital challenge on the striker before he could convert Jose Enrique's pass.

Duff was rightly booked for diving in the box as Anton Ferdinand withdrew his foot in the challenge as Sunderland retreated and tried to hit the opposition on the counter.

Newcastle got the breakthrough when Steed Malbranque was adjudged to have fouled Taylor inside the penalty area. Ameobi blasted the penalty high to Fulop's left.

Sunderland's response was swift, with Sebastien Bassong having to block Jones's 73rd-minute effort and Harper saving substitute Andy Reid's follow-up as the balance shifted once again.

Reid smashed a left-foot shot inches wide with the last kick of the game, but neither side was able to find a winner in a flurry of activity at the death and the final whistle brought warm applause from both sets of supporters.

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