Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez admitted the Magpies only have themselves to blame after they dropped more points at Aston Villa.
Aaron Tshibola's late header earned the hosts a battling 1-1 draw after Tommy Elphick's first-half own goal almost gifted the Magpies victory on Saturday.
The visitors were on top for long spells and Dwight Gayle and Mo Diame wasted fine openings before Tshibola levelled with just three minutes left.
The draw left Newcastle fifth, four points behind Sky Bet Championship leaders Norwich ahead of the Canaries' visit to St James' Park on Wednesday, and Benitez knows they blew their chance.
"We were so dominant in the first half we could've finished the game and now we're talking about another thing," said Benitez, with Newcastle having earned one point from their last two games against Wolves and Villa. "That's football, you have to take your chances and we didn't do it.
"We made some mistakes defending in the second half and we have to give credit to them but, for me, the positives were the first half and the negatives were the mistakes in the second half and that we allowed them to stay in the game.
"We had a lot of chances, so many clear chances we could finish the game but in the second half we have to defend a little better.
"It's key for me to be consistent and we have to keep calm and work hard. You could see a great team in the first half creating a lot of chances but the final score means we didn't take our chances, not that the team wasn't good enough in the first half."