Portsmouth - 1 Newcastle Utd - 1 It would have been painful for Newcastle to concede an 89th-minute equaliser under any circumstances, but yesterday's events will have cut particularly deep. Portsmouth's saviour was none other than Lomana Lua-Lua, the striker Bobby Robson allowed to move here on loan recently.

Having failed to find the net for Newcastle all season, Lua-Lua's finishing dealt a significant blow to everyone at St James' Park.

Newcastle were close to opening a four-point cushion in fourth place when Lua-Lua's volley earned Pompey a deserved share of the spoils. His celebrations involved not only trademark backflips but a less polished shirt removal, and the flamboyance was fitting. With one well-struck shot the 23-year-old had taken Pompey out of the bottom three and proved a point to the club which used him only sparingly and packed him off.

It was strange to see him turn out at all. Since loans between Premiership clubs started, managers have tended to prevent players they have sent elsewhere from appearing against them. Why Newcastle did not insist on such a clause when they released Lua-Lua for 90 days depends on what one believes.

One version says it was an administrative oversight as time ran out before the deadline. Another is that, having accepted a £100,000 fee, Newcastle did not feel they could impose conditions. Either way Lua-Lua was entitled to state: "Maybe it was saying I wouldn't do damage, so to score meant a lot".

It did not require a degree in reading between lines to see Robson had not approved of Newcastle's decision. "I'm making no comment. It's been a club issue and I have to accept that."

Following the Alan Shearer episode at Valerenga, Robson might have described himself all-round as "angry" and "very disappointed". With Liverpool drawing and Charlton losing, Newcastle had blown a chance to cement fourth spot.

As predictable as Lua-Lua's goal was the draw. Newcastle's last seven away league games have ended all square. That is why they trail Chelsea and Manchester United by 16 points when they have lost as few matches.

Ahead through Craig Bellamy, Newcastle did not merit more than a point, even if it had become hard to see Pompey scoring by the time Lua-Lua struck. The home side did the majority of the attacking and were denied twice by Shay Given and on a couple of occasions by poor finishing.

But Pompey's equaliser finally came: Ivica Mornar crossed and Lua-Lua volleyed in after Titus Bramble, his old room-mate, inadvertently set him up.

"I apologise to the Newcastle fans but they don't know what I have been through," Lua-Lua said. "I'm glad I'm somewhere where someone wants me."

When Robson reflected that "one of our players has taken a point off us," it was not hard to guess his mood.