Somen Tchoyi scored three times as West Brom staged a remarkable comeback at St James' Park.Steven Taylor, Peter Lovenkrands and a Jonas Olsson own goal put Newcastle United in control shortly after half time.
But Tchoyi drove forward from midfield to earn Albion a point with a hat-trick in the space of 28 minutes.
While teenager Shane Ferguson was the star of a bright first half show by Newcastle, Steven Taylor was the key figure for Alan Pardew's team.
The defender cleared Marc-Antoine Fortune's shot off the line after only seven minutes, then put United ahead nine minutes later.
Taylor, who scored in the closing stages in their last game at Chelsea, hooked the ball in after it was bravely won in the air by Ferguson as Albion failed to deal with a corner.
It gave Newcastle a lead they regularly threatened to increase, notably when Scott Carson saved from Ferguson and Lovenkrands.
A shot from Shola Ameobi was also blocked on the line by Abdoulaye Meite, while Danny Simpson went close with a spectacular effort from nearly 30 yards.
Albion's best opportunity before the break fell to Chris Brunt, whose angled shot in the 38th minute was brilliantly claimed by keeper Tim Krul.
The importance of that save was magnified within a minute when Lovenkrands added United's second goal as his shot was pushed into the air by Carson, who couldn't stop it going over the line.
Any chances of a second half revival by Albion looked to have been destroyed only two minutes after the restart when Olsson could only divert Jose Enrique's cross past his own keeper.
But Tchoyi had other ideas. He pulled a goal back in the 62nd minute before adding another ten minutes later.
And, with 90 minutes gone, the midfielder headed in a cross from Olsson to earn a point.
REACTION:
Albion manager Roy Hodgson on Tchoyi, who has rarely played since he took over:
"I might have got that one wrong, I think. Chris Brunt and Jerome Thomas were in his position and doing extremely well, so I didn't really have the necessity to think about using him. No doubt he will now go on holiday thinking that I couldn't spot a footballer if he bit me on the nose."
On Albion's fightback after a poor first half:
"We did our best to lose it. I thought we were worth three goals. Give credit to our players. They didn't give up hope, took the game to Newcastle and created three good chances."
On the way they have survived after coming up last season:
"It would have been less surprising if West Brom had gone down compared to Newcastle, so the club, players, staff and fans deserve a big pat on the back for lifting us out of the mire."
On his interest in Ipswich defender Ipswich defender Gareth McAuley:
"We are in discussions with him. It is likely he will sign but there is nothing concrete yet."
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew on his team's fade-out:
"It was a funny game. I'm not sure we deserved to be 3-0 up, but we were seeing the game out and didn't seem to have a problem. Th en we gifted them a goal and couldn't get back to speed. It's frustrating because we should have seen the game out, but it reflected our season. We were brilliant at times, rubbish at the end and that's the inconsistency we need to eradicate."
On the performance of Shane Ferguson:
"The talent was there for all to seem. Shane was a shining light today."
On their finishing position:
"Twelfth is probably about fair. Now we need to build on it this year."
WHAT IT MEANS:
Very little when compared to the events unfolding elsewhere in the Premier League. But it was a result that ensured both teams can go into the summer with their confidence high. It was a lively affair when both teams showed why they managed to steer clear of the final day's survival battle. For Newcastle, there was also further confirmation that they have unearthed a hugely promising player in Shane Ferguson, who was starting only his seventh league game.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 3 (S Taylor 16, Lovenkrands 39, Olsson 47 own goal) WEST BROMWICH ALBION 3 (Tchoyi 62, 72, 90)
PLAYER RATINGS:
Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul 7; Simpson 6, S Taylor 8, Coloccini 6, Enrique 7; R Taylor 6, Barton 6, Guthrie 7 (Best 72,5), Ferguson 8 (LuaLua 64,5); Ameobi 5, Lovenkrands 7 (Smith 70,5).
Subs not used: Soderberg, Tavernier, Ranger, Kuqi.
West Brom (4-4-2): Carson 5; Reid 6, Meite 6, Olsson 5, Shorey 6; Tchoyi 9, Scharner 5 (Thorne 60,5) Mulumbu 7, Morrison 6; Brunt 6, Fortune 6 (Miller 72,5).
Subs not used: Myhill, Ibanez, Thomas, Cox, Jara.
REFEREE: Mark Halsey
ATTENDANCE: 51,678
MAN OF THE MATCH:
Somen Tchoyi (West Brom): While Shane Ferguson displayed his immense promise, particularly in the first half, and Steven Taylor had a major impact on the game, Tchoyi's remarkable hat-trick made him the game's star. He was one Albion player who didn't accept it was over when they trailed 3-0.
