CARRY ON CURSING! EVERTON 2 NEWCASTLE 2 BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE, FROM GOODISON If this battling revival is the Toon response to a Kinnear rant then our message is.. PLEASE DON'T STOP JOE!

Byline: BY SIMON BIRD

JOE KINNEAR will keep swearing and ranting if it helps drag Newcastle back from the brink like this.

Perched in the directors box, Kinnear cursed and grimaced his way through a first-half that had the Geordies two down and looking clueless until injury time. Then came a stirring revival.

Poor Joe missed both Newcastle goals as he scurried up and down to the dressing rooms either side of half-time.

But at the end of a controversial week, Kinnear and his players can be happy at a job well done. At last some fighting spirit, aggression and character to end a miserable five game losing streak.

Kinnear's f-word raving last week will go down in football legend. But with a few decent results maybe his paranoia will subside, and he'll realise the world is not against him.

After the row over his players being given his first day off, Kinnear has since drilled them in "two and three sessions" a day. And with a bit more defensive organisation results will improve.

Newcastle have been short or heroes of late, but local hero Steven Taylor sparked a remarkable rally, heading an opener and setting up the equaliser in a personal show full of character. "At 2-0 down I bet you all thought we were down and out, but we weren't," Kinnear said.

Everton blew their best chance yet of recording an elusive first home win of the season and David Moyes saw his men booed off. Moyes said: "We are a bit fragile at the moment. We were comfortable for 45 minutes until they scored. We gave them a lifeline. Anxiety crept in."

As unhappy as the Goodison faithful were, the travelling Geordies were jubilant at the small mercy of an away point that is at least a glimmer of hope to build.

Newcastle's performance in the opening 44 minutes was desperately poor, making there vival all the more remarkable. It lacked spirit, drive or guile.

Everton hardly looked world beaters themselves, the burden of not having won at home in the league all season weighing heavy.

Yet they looked comfortable after taking a two goal lead within 35 minutes. The opener came from a penalty when Nicky Butt tripped Leighton Baines as he broke into the box as Leon Osman sprung the Newcastle defence.

Mikel Arteta took the kick and slotted home his second of the season to settle the Goodison nerves and lift his side following Thursday's UEFA Cup exit. The setback knocked the Geordies' fragile confidence and they were two down after a neat move involving two back-heels and a perfect cross to the near post by the impressive Baines.

The England Under-21 left back fired his assist to lanky midfielder Marouane Fellaini. Predictably he was unmarked ghosting in to the front post and volleyed home, with Fabrisio Coloccini, the nearest Newcastle stopper, a yard away.

Newcastle mustered a flurry of chances which saw shots from Damien Duff and Danny Guthrie being saved by Tim Howard.

The third chance in a matter of seconds came when defender Taylor crashed in a shot that was chested off the line by Baines.

Taylor deserved his good fortune in first-half injury time. He is a young lad trying to shoulder a big responsibility at his crisis-hit club.

Geremi seized a loose ball when Yakubu's flick went awry, and crossed deep for Taylor to rise above Tony Hibbert and power home to give United an unlikely lifeline. Taylor then played a key role in Newcastle levelling with just two minutes of the second half gone.

Butt's crisp ball down the wing beat the offside trap and left Taylor with time and space on the byline. He waited for Duff's surge into the box and picked him out with precision. Newcastle could have won it but for Baines again clearing off the line brilliantly, this time from Charles N'Zogbia.

Kinnear wants to leave Newcastle in a better position than when he took charge. On this evidence he may well do just that.

He just needs to lose the chip on his shoulder.

EVERTON: Howard 7, Hibbert 5, Jagielka 6, Lescott 6, Baines 8, Arteta 6, Osman 6, Fellaini 7, Pienaar 6 (Vaughan 84), Saha 5, Yakubu 6.

NEWCASTLE: Given 7, Taylor 8, Coloccini 6, Cacapa 7, Jose Enrique 4 (Bassong 39, 7), Geremi 6 (Ameobi 75, 6), Butt 6, Guthrie 7, N'Zogbia 7, Owen, Duff 7.

REF: Howard Webb

At the end of a controversal week, Kinnear and his men can be happy at a job well done. At last some spirit.

COMPUTER

EVERTON

NEWCASTLE

TOON EARN THEIR STRIPES

BALL POSSESSION

48% 52%

FACE TO FACE

3 Corners 5

1 Offside 3

77% Pass completion 70%

16 Tackles 22

18 Fouls 14

1 Cards 3

SHOTS

10 off target 2

4 on target 5

YOU THE MANAGER

MAN OF THE MATCH

(Worth an extra two Fantasy League points)

Steven Taylor (NEWCASTLE)

8

Scored and set up the other goal. Great attitude and determination

VILLAIN OF THE MATCH

Jose Enrique (NEWCASTLE)

4

Subbed early as he developed a limp when the going got tough

ANORAK

Louis Saha made 12 appearances for the Toon, on loan from Metz from Jan 99 to June 2000

NEXT THREE GAMES

EVERTON

Sat Oct 18: Arsenal (a) Prem

Sat Oct 25: Man Utd (h) Prem

Tue Oct 28: Bolton (a) Prem

NEWCASTLE

Mon Oct 20: Man City (h) Prem

Sat Oct 25: Sunderland (a) Prem

Tue Oct 28: West Brom (h) Prem

CAPTION(S):

TIMELY STRIKE Steven Taylor equalised right on half-time; LEVEL BEST Damien Duff scores and Newcastle pull it back to 2-2.; TWO BAD Newcastle keeper Shay Given is beaten by Everton's second goal, scored by Marouane Fellaini