Rodrigo Muniz ended his lengthy goal drought with a late equaliser as Fulham held Newcastle to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.
Jacob Murphy appeared to have secured a valuable victory for under-pressure Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle when he struck superbly in the 80th minute.
Intercepting a misplaced pass in Fulham’s half, Murphy moved inside before bending a left-footed effort into the far corner from 25 yards.
But Newcastle’s advantage lasted less than three minutes.
Substitute Cesar Palacios’ pass reached Muniz, who poked the ball home for his first goal since the opening day of last season.
Both teams then threatened to claim all three points.
Bernd Leno saved from Lewis Hall before Lukas Hornicek produced an excellent stoppage-time stop to deny Ryan Sessegnon.
The draw spared Newcastle a fifth defeat in six matches, although surrendering their late lead left them frustrated.
Fulham, meanwhile, stretched their unbeaten Premier League run to four games.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s hosts controlled much of the opening half without consistently troubling Newcastle’s defence.
Josh King, making his first appearance since receiving his maiden England call-up, came closest with a powerful volley from 20 yards that Hornicek pushed wide.
Newcastle created the clearer opportunities, with Leno twice denying Harvey Barnes.
The second save came with his face after Barnes broke through on goal.
Dan Burn subsequently turned in Murphy’s delivery following a corner, but his effort was disallowed because Yoane Wissa had held Timothy Castagne away from the ball.
The infringement prevented Castagne from stepping forward to potentially leave Burn offside.
Barnes wasted another opening shortly after half-time, while Fulham midfielder Sander Berge sent a fierce effort narrowly wide.
Newcastle grew stronger as the second half progressed, but neither side found a breakthrough until Murphy’s strike sparked a dramatic finish.
Newcastle improve but waste chances
Following a home defeat by Everton that drew an angry response from supporters, Newcastle delivered a more encouraging performance.
They defended effectively during Fulham’s strongest spells and fashioned enough chances to leave with a victory.
Barnes, however, failed to capitalise on several promising openings.
Although Leno deserved credit for his saves, the winger will particularly regret missing when clean through before the interval.
Hall also had an opportunity to restore Newcastle’s lead after Muniz equalised.
Having surged into the penalty area, he found himself with only Leno to beat from around 12 yards, but his weaker right-footed finish allowed the goalkeeper to intervene.
There were signs of progress for Jaissle, yet Newcastle’s finishing and failure to protect their advantage ensured disappointment remained the dominant feeling.
Muniz offers Fulham hope in attack
Fulham’s recovery underlined their determination, while two wins and two draws from their past four league matches provide further encouragement.
Their attacking shortcomings nevertheless remain apparent.
Despite moving the ball confidently in the first half, they struggled to turn possession into clear opportunities.
Between the 15th and 30th minutes, Fulham enjoyed 75% possession but managed only one attempt, which was blocked.
King, Oscar Bobb and Alex Iwobi supplied movement and creativity around the penalty area, but the hosts again lacked a consistent finishing touch.
Summer signing Gonzalo Garcia remains Arbeloa’s preferred option up front, although the Spaniard needs a goal to reward his efforts.
Muniz’s breakthrough could offer another solution.
Having finally ended his barren spell, the forward will hope to build on a contribution that rescued a point for his side.
