FA PREMIERSHIP/Newcastle 1 Fulham 1: Louis Saha spent five months on Tyneside three seasons ago, in the days of Ruud Gullit. He is remembered fondly and was given a warm ovation here last night before kick-off.

By the end, though, the only people applauding Saha were the Fulham fans and Saha's teammates, for he had scored the goal which may well keep Fulham in the Premiership.

Trailing to Kieron Dyer's slick 21st-minute goal - his first since January, but his eighth of the season - Fulham, and Saha in particular, never gave up.

He had seen a couple of decent efforts blocked by Shay Given, but when Sean Davis volleyed in a dangerous corner 13 minutes from the end, Saha was practically stood beside Given on the Newcastle line, the ball hit him and promptly flew into the net.

It was no less than Fulham deserved and the point means that four points now separate Jean Tigana's side from Ipswich. Fulham do look genuinely too good to go down.

On this evidence, Newcastle look nowhere near good enough to play in the Champions League, but they are back in fourth place, one point ahead of Chelsea. They still have a game in hand but Chelsea will take confidence from this performance.

Bobby Robson's plans of a premature destruction of his first club were hampered last night by the continued absence of Craig Bellamy. The Welshman had been touted to return here but was not even on the bench. He has now missed eight matches.

His omission meant the Newcastle manager started Carl Cort alongside Shearer once again, but their team-mates struggled to bring either into play in the first 20 minutes.

Fulham were defending deeply and diligently and prior to Dyer's opener, there was only the faintest whiff of a half-chance for Shearer. Nothing came of it.

The game was compacted into Fulham's half and with Laurent Robert offering little width or effort on the left, Fulham were comfortable.

Dyer had made a couple of eye-catching runs, roaming all over the pitch, and when Robert unexpectedly won a header, Dyer was in the inside-left channel to take possession.

There was a fortunate ricochet off Andy Melville, but Dyer took the ball on at speed and finished coolly. That Robert did not get involved in the celebrations told of his dressing-room isolation.

Fulham's response was good. Within a minute Given was diving at the feet of Saha after the Frenchman had burst clear, and Saha's compatriot, Sylvain Legwinski, then wasted a clear opportunity, scuffing John Collins' cross into the ground when unmarked and only 12 yards out.

When Legwinski then wound up for a 30-yarder shortly before the interval only for his shot to go for a throw-in, Tigana must have felt that it summed up his team's luck of judgment at the moment.

But Tigana made no changes, a decision he may have questioned when Fulham began the second half with another pretty passing move which petered out near the Newcastle area.

Nolberto Solano, meanwhile, was giving a demonstration in directness. The Peruvian scampered down the right touchline twice to win early corners, the first of which should have been converted by Cort. His header flew inches over.

Solano's lesson was not lost on Saha. Whereas the first half had been slow and intricate, the play was becoming end-to-end stuff. Speeding away from Andy O'Brien, Saha again bore down on Given's area.

Saha managed to get his shot away this time but Given had closed down the space and the rebound fell kindly for Newcastle rather than the incoming Legwinski.

Despite last night's Alan Shearer believes his side are still in the driver's seat to claim the last Champions League spot. "It would be a crying shame and a massive disappointment if we don't make Europe now, but we're still in pole position and I'd rather be where we are than where Chelsea are."

Guardian Service

NEWCASTLE: Given, Hughes, O'Brien (Dabizas 90), Distin, Elliott, Solano, Dyer, Speed, Robert, Shearer, Cort (Jenas 68). Subs Not Used: Harper, Lua-Lua, Bernard. Booked: Robert. Goals: Dyer 21.

FULHAM: Van der Sar, Finnan, Melville, Goma, Brevett, Davis, Collins, Malbranque, Legwinski, Saha, Marlet. Subs Not Used: Harley, Taylor, Hayles, Boa Morte, Ouaddou. Goals: Saha 77.

Referee: A Wiley (Burntwood).