A competitive encounter, as Tyne/Wear derbies ALWAYS are, almost boiled over just before the break when Joey Barton and Dickson Etuhu clashed after a late challenge by the Newcastle man.Barton made his mark, I'm sure, and Etuhu threatened to pull his head off (or words something similar).
But despite the referee giving a free kick and nothing more, the FA are set to jump on Barton from a great height.
Keane, however, was unconcerned and said we must expect bad tackles in such games. He himself has a record of lashing out in the Manchester derby, as we all know.
Keane: "I am not going to get bogged down by a tackle that was slightly high.
"That happens in these games, a lot of them are mistimed.
"You give and you take. Dickson is a tough lad. He is alive in that dressing room, he won't be leaving on a stretcher."