Toon 3 Burnley 3

Last updated : 02 January 2015 By Footy Mad - Editor

NEWCASTLE UNITED: Alnwick, Janmaat, Coloccini, S Taylor (Williamson 61), Dummett, Sissoko, Colback Tiote, Gouffran (Haidara 71), Perez, Riviere (Armstrong 57)

BURNLEY: Heaton; Trippier, Shackell (c) (Long 17 [Reid 34]), Keane, Mee; Arfield, Jones, Marney (Kightly 32)Colb, Boyd; Barnes, Ings.

Ref: Mike Dean

George Boyd completed a second remarkable fightback inside five days as Burnley left Newcastle with a 3-3 draw.

The visitors trailed three times at St James' Park and looked to be heading for defeat when Moussa Sissoko put the Magpies 3-2 ahead with just 12 minutes remaining.

But Sean Dyche's men refused to be beaten and Boyd's 86th-minute strike denied John Carver, standing in for Alan Pardew as he watched prospective new employers Crystal Palace in action at Aston Villa, the victory he craved as he attempted to state his case to replace the 53-year-old.

Virtually everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the visitors during a first half in which they lost three men to injury and found themselves 2-1 behind, with Steven Taylor and Jack Colback scoring for the Magpies either side of Paul Dummett's own goal.

But having come from 2-0 down at Manchester City to draw on Sunday, they turned in a stunning second-half display which was rewarded when Danny Ings headed them level after 66 minutes, and that proved scant reward for their efforts on an afternoon when they hit the woodwork on no fewer than four occasions.

With time running down, Sissoko gave the bulk of crowd of 51, 761 what they wanted, but once again, his side could not hang on to their lead.

Dyche named the same team for the sixth successive game but his plans were ripped apart within 35 minutes as he lost captain Jason Shackell, his replacement Kevin Long and midfielder Dean Marney to a combination of injury and illness.

It had all started so positively for the visitors, who hit the post through Ashley Barnes with less than a minute on the clock, but their fortunes were to dip alarmingly.

Newcastle took the lead with 15 minutes gone when defender Taylor glanced Colback's corner home.

But the lead lasted just four minutes and the Magpies had no-one to blame but themselves when a catastrophic breakdown in communication between Dummett and Jak Alnwick saw the defender loop a header over the advancing keeper to drag the Clarets back into it.

Order was restored seven minutes later when Colback, who scored his first goal for the club against Everton on Sunday, thumped a 25-yard drive past Heaton and in off the post.

The visitors made it to half-time just one goal in arrears but needing to show much, much more after the break to get back into it.

Burnley were desperately unfortunate not to be back on level terms with 48 minutes gone when Ings smashed a shot against the underside of the bar and Barnes headed the rebound against the foot of the post with Alnwick helpless on both occasions.

With David Jones and Barnes pulling the strings, Dyche's men were enjoying their best spell of the game and Newcastle's problems were not improved when Taylor limped off to be replaced by Mike Williamson.

They were denied by the woodwork for a fourth time with 62 minutes gone when defender Ben Mee headed Jones' corner against the crossbar, and Alnwick only just managed to keep out Boyd's stinging long-range effort two minutes later.

But the visitors finally got their reward 24 minutes from time when Ings glanced Kightly's cross past Alnwick and in off the post to the delight of the travelling fans high behind the goal.

Burnley looked the more likely winners but with 12 minutes remaining, Perez embarked upon a mazy run which took him past full-back Kieran Trippier and when his cross was helped on by substitute Adam Armstrong, Sissoko fired past Heaton at the far post.

But there was to be a further twist when Boyd smashed a third equaliser past Alnwick with four minutes left to snatch a point.