United throw it away at St James's Park

Nicky Butt was missing for Kinnear's side with the midfielder missing out with a hamstring injury and Geremi taking his place.

United made a bright start to the game when Charles N'Zogbia made a good run down the left before cracking a powerful shot just wide of Thomas Sorensen's goal with three minutes on the clock.

This was followed up three minutes later when Jonas rolled it to Michael Owen but Sorensen easily gathered his tame shot on the turn.

However, the Dane had no answer to the duo's efforts 60 seconds after the attack as Owen and Jonas combined to hand Newcastle the lead at Gallowgate.

The Argentine threaded the ball through for the United captain who guided an angled shot from the right into the bottom corner.

Rory Delap's first throw-in of the afternoon arrived on 10 minutes but with little room to manoeuvre at St James's Park - due to the proximity of the sponsor boards - the ball was gathered comfortably by Shay Given.

On 23 minutes Owen doubled his account for the afternoon after another well worked move.

Oba Martins latched on to Geremi's weighted pass deep on the left before rolling it across the six-yard box for Owen who stabbed it home at the back post.

There was a change for the Magpies at the start of the second period with Steven Taylor replacing first half injury victim Danny Guthrie.

The reshuffle meant Taylor was fielded as a right-back with Beye pushed up the right wing and Jonas pulled across into the centre of midfield.

Taylor made his presence felt with a blockbusting tackle on 52 minutes after Mamady Sidibe had slipped in Richard Cresswell with the Stoke man denied after a perfect interception by the Academy product.

The long throw threat of Delap was removed from the equation ahead of the hour when Stoke boss Tony Pulis hooked the ex-Carlisle man for Ricardo Fuller.

It was a move that paid instant dividends for Pulis as Fuller got to the by-line down the right and squared it for Sidibe who converted from close range to haul the Potters back into it at 2-1 on 60 minutes.

That dented United's bid for three successive clean sheets and also set up a tense final half hour.

Newcastle made another change with 16 minutes to go when Mark Viduka replaced Martins after the Nigerian had put in an excellent display for the black and whites.

With seven minutes left former Magpie Andy Griffin was cautioned after a late challenge on Jonas.

Newcastle looked nervous in the closing stages with the Geordie nation getting behind their side but Stoke still looked capable of carving out chances.

And in the first minute of the allotted five minutes of stoppage time a free-kick from Glenn Whelan resulted in an unmarked Abdoulaye Faye sweeping home at Gallowgate to make it 2-2.

In the closing stages bungling ref Mike Riley got in the way of a Newcastle attack to sum up a frustrating day for the home side.

UNITED: Given, Beye, Coloccini, Bassong, Enrique, Jonas, Geremi (Cacapa 83), Guthrie (Taylor 46), N'Zogbia, Owen, Martins.

STOKE: Sorensen, Griffin, Higginbotham, Cresswell, Sidibe, Pugh, Diao (Whelan 21), Amdy Faye (Tonge 79), Delap (Fuller 57), Abdoulaye Faye, Sonko.

Ref: Mike Riley

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