Newcastle United 2 QPR 2

Tossing away two points could prove even more costly than missing out on Andros Townsend in the final Championship reckoning.

With the clock having ticked into the 90th minute, the Magpies were on course for a victory that would have taken them back to the top of the table.

They had been far from fluent, indeed QPR had dominated for much of the first half, but goals from Jonjo Shelvey and Matt Ritchie had established a 2-1 advantage that had barely been threatened in the final half hour.

Kazenga LuaLua, a former Newcastle academy product, swung over a harmless cross from the left, and Karl Darlow looked poised to claim what would have been a routine catch. Or at least he did before Ciaran Clark inexplicably headed the ball over him and into his own net.

It was a horrendous error from the centre-half, and it means Newcastle find themselves a point behind Brighton, who take on Huddersfield this evening. Perhaps more significantly, it also means the Magpies are now just four points clear of Reading, who are in third position.

In truth, a draw was no more than Newcastle deserved for much of the first half, when their sloppiness was eventually punished by Conor Washington. But having established a position of supremacy after the break, this was definitely a case of the Magpies shooting themselves in the foot. Benitez, turning towards his bench in disgust, certainly knew how reckless his players had been.

The Spaniard restored all nine of the players that had missed last weekend’s FA Cup defeat at Oxford, but Clark’s late aberration means it is hard to say his actions at the Kassam Stadium were justified. All things considered, this has not been a good week for those of a black-and-white persuasion.

Last night’s game was certainly a marked contrast to events in September, when Newcastle had scored six at Loftus Road. Back then, Shelvey had been the orchestrator of his side’s dominant display, but while he had scored two of the Magpies’ six goals in London, he had gone 17 subsequent matches without finding the back of the net.

Clearly, he likes facing Rangers though. Just 38 seconds of last night’s game had gone when he latched on to a loose defensive header from Jake Bidwell, close to the edge of the area. Without breaking stride, he lashed a ferocious first-time finish past Alex Smithies’ right hand.

Celebrating raucously in front of the Leazes End, Shelvey looked every inch the leader that Newcastle were lacking during his five-game absence. Given the failure to recruit a central midfielder during last month’s transfer window, ensuring his availability is going to be crucial in the final three months of the season.

Having secured a dream start, the Magpies might have been expected to dominate proceedings from that point onwards.

Instead, with the game proving surprisingly open, QPR rallied and sought to do some damage of their own. They were assisted by some shaky Newcastle defending, and carved out three presentable opportunities before the 20-minute mark.

Massimo Luongo curled wide from the edge of the area and saw a diving header saved by Darlow, while in between times, Ritchie was forced to produce an excellent sliding challenge to deny Pawel Wszolek, just as the QPR midfielder looked set to take advantage of a neat lay-off from Washington.

With an erratic Jamaal Lascelles struggling to keep tabs on Washington, Clark was also forced to produce a succession of important blocks. Having improved since the appointment of Ian Holloway, QPR were unrecognisable from the shambolic side that had capitulated so meekly on home soil.

Newcastle’s first-half attacking tended to falter at the feet of Ayoze Perez, who was in one of his more frustrating moods, regularly conceding possession and finding himself easily brushed off the ball. Mo Diame, back from Africa Cup of Nations duty, will surely replace him against Derby at the weekend.

With Shelvey misplacing passes and Hayden losing the ball in dangerous areas as QPR’s energetic pressing paid dividends, there was a sloppiness to the Magpies’ play that meant they were unable to feel comfortable despite their advantage.

As a result, it was hardly a surprise when the visitors levelled a minute before the break. Bidwell was the architect of the goal, picking up a half-cleared corner on the edge of the area and drilling a low shot into a crowded box.

Washington reacted quickest, trapping the ball on the six-yard line before stabbing a low finish past Darlow. It was a classic poacher’s strike, and a thoroughly deserved equaliser.

QPR went close again at the start of the second half, with Paul Dummett’s poor control enabling Wszolek to drill in a shot that was saved by Darlow, and had the visitors forced themselves into the lead, it would have been interesting to see how Newcastle would have reacted.

Instead, 60 seconds later and it was the Magpies celebrating the restoration of their lead thanks to the aerial prowess of Ritchie.

Having worked some space on the edge of the area, Hayden stood up an inviting cross to the back post. Ritchie initially looked second best as he shaped to challenge for the ball, but a prodigious leap enabled him to out-jump his marker, and he powered home an excellent header to claim his third goal in his last two outings.

Back in front, Newcastle began to look more assured, and Shelvey almost added another long-range cracker to his catalogue of goals against QPR, only for Smithies to claw the ball to safety as he hurled himself to his left.

The QPR goalkeeper was the busiest player on the pitch in the second half, and he kept his side in the game with 18 minutes left when he kept out Yoan Gouffran’s close-range effort after the midfielder had latched on to another dangerous cross from Hayden.

There wasn’t a lot more Gouffran could have done on that occasion, but the same could be not said of Perez when he failed to convert a golden opportunity three minutes later. Hayden’s through ball released the Spaniard through the middle, but with the goal seemingly at his mercy, he shot straight at Smithies’ legs.

It proved a costly error as Clark put the ball in his own net in the final minute.

There was still time for substitute Diame to have a chance of a winner, but he put the ball wide after Smithies had saved from Gouffran.