PAPISS CISSE was Newcastle United’s saviour again when his brace earned the Magpies a point at Swansea City.

After his double against Hull a fortnight ago, Cisse scored two equalisers at the Liberty Stadium as a dogged Newcastle side showed some spirit and support for their beleaguered manager Alan Pardew, who was, once again, the subject of chants from the travelling Magpies supporters.

Swansea took the lead on 17 minutes through Wilfried Bony, before Cisse equalised two minutes before half time. Former Magpie Wayne Routledge restored the Swans’ lead on 50 minutes, but Cisse popped up again on 75 minutes to earn Newcastle a point.

Newcastle looked rudderless from early on, with Gabby Obertan brought in ahead of Remy Cabella as Pardew reshuffled his team. The former Manchester United forward fired a shot wide on 17 minutes, from which Swansea countered and got their opening goal of the afternoon.

Ki Sung-Yueng, who was on loan at Sunderland last season, found Bony who exchanged passes with the superb Gylfi Sigurdsson before prodding past Krul. It was a counter-attack with pace and purpose, two elements which Newcastle sorely lacked in a drab first half in South Wales.

They did, however, restore parity shortly before the interval when Cisse expertly turned in from Obertan’s cross. The finish was eye of the needle stuff, but sadly, Newcastle were unable to build on it after the break.

Swansea wasted no time in regaining the lead, with Routledge, who played 34 games for Newcastle in 2010 and 2011, dinking over Krul when Sigurdsson robbed Moussa Sissoko and threaded through to the lively winger.

Cisse tried to repeat his first-half goal on the hour mark, this time from a Sammy Ameobi cross – the substitute replacing Yoan Gouffran – but Lukasz Fabianski saved well.

Bony fired over the crossbar after strong work by Swansea on 65 minutes, while the striker brought another fine save out of Krul on 73 minutes, the Dutch stopper pushing Bony’s first-time effort from Nathan Dyer’s cross around the post.

But Newcastle levelled up again – Cisse again – when the Senegalese striker hooked past Fabianski from Ameobi’s swinging cross.

Playing 4-4-2 after the introduction of Emmanuel Riviere, Newcastle looked sharper and more cohesive, and once again went on the attack – Ameobi again the catalyst, finding Obertan out right, who touched inside for Daryl Janmaat, eventually finding Cisse who blazed his shot over the crossbar.

Former Middlesbrough striker Marvin Emnes drew a save out of Krul after being played in by Bony with five minutes left on the clock, with Newcastle bringing on Ayoze Perez for Cisse to attempt to gain the winner.

And it almost came courtesy of Janmaat, the Dutch international stinging Fabianski’s palms deep into injury time with a 20-yard daisycutter.

SWANSEA CITY (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Richards, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Shelvey, Ki; Dyer (Montero 86), Sigurdsson (Emnes 86), Routledge; Bony. Subs not used: Tremmel, Carroll, Gomis, Bartley, Shephard.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-2-3-1): Krul; Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett; Colback (Riviere 69), Tiote; Obertan, Sisssoko, Gouffran (Ameobi 58); Cisse (Perez 85). Subs not used: Elliot, Anita, Haidara, Cabella.