As Oliver Glasner sheepishly headed back up the touchline, he knew a yellow card from referee Darren England would be waiting for him. I doubt he cared very much. After all, the Crystal Palace manager had just sprinted to celebrate a well-deserved equaliser with his players in front of a raucous set of home supporters.
On the opposite bench sat a shellshocked [Eddie Howe](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/all-about/eddie-howe), flanked by his coaching team, who could not believe his side had thrown it away at the death. In truth, his side didn't deserve anything from their trip to the capital.
It is now 166 minutes since [Newcastle United](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/all-about/newcastle-united-fc) last enjoyed a shot on target. They registered just a solitary, blocked, attempt on goal at Selhurst Park and needed a Marc Guehi own goal to open the scoring. The Magpies have scored just 14 goals in 13 games and are struggling to find their feet at the top end of the pitch.
“We look a bit low on confidence and losing Alex was a huge blow to that,” Howe said. “Then again we were without a recognised striker so it was important that Anthony did well. The team performed well in the first two thirds and I thought it was a strong performance, only lacking cutting edge up front."
Before the game, confidence from the Newcastle quarters was high - despite a surprise defeat to West Ham United on home soil earlier in the week. A glance at the Premier League table showed Crystal Palace down in 19th, with just one win to their name.
The Newcastle team sheet was also cause for optimism. The away side's starting lineup cost just shy of £350m, a whole £240m more than Crystal Palace's selection.
You could argue the XI Howe fielded in south east London was also the strongest team he could have gone with in terms of talent. Sandro Tonali's return - and subsequent performance - was one of few positives in the 1-1 draw, while the backline looked assured again with Dan Burn returning.
That matters little when you cannot find your feet in the final third. Alexander Isak's 22nd-minute exit didn't help matters but it was a poor afternoon for his replacement Harvey Barnes, along with Anthony Gordon other than his assist for the game's opening goal.
Howe knows where the problem lies and made that clear in his post-match interviews. His job between now and the end of the month is to turn Newcastle back into the free-scoring side of last season. Don't forget this team scored 85 times in the Premier League last term.
Isak's injury does not look too serious at first glance, while Callum Wilson is edging closer to full fitness after another run out. The duo must re-find their scoring boots, while the men around them must start to chip in again too.
“It was a strange performance from us with the ball because I thought there was a lot of good in the first two thirds but nothing in the final third. A lot of set plays but we look a little bit low on confidence," Howe continued at full-time.
“We’re always asking the players to shoot, there is no ban on shooting! We’re just going through a phase at the moment where we’re struggling, but I think we’ll come out of that.”