At the end, it was an encouraging draw to open the Steve McClaren era. Going in to halftime at 1-1 was a very good feeling.
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The hosts started the second half as they ended the first with a goal within three minutes of the restart.
They began in less than convincing mode.
However the Saints, who enjoyed an impressive campaign last time out and qualified for the Europa League, took the lead midway though the first half via Graziano Pelle. Three points would have made it all the more sweeter. If his initial pitch-level view seemed a little alarming the outlook had improved appreciably by half time. Pelle rose highest at the back post to latch onto a Cedric cross from the right flank, to head home the Saints’ first goal of the Premier League season. Most significantly they were stretching Southampton’s defence to breaking point.
Davis was in the right place again to clear Coloccini’s effort off the line but Newcastle were level shortly before half-time when Massadio Haidara’s cross looped up off Sadio Mane and over Maarten Stekelenburg to Cisse, who chested the ball in from a yard out.
Papiss Cisse equalised just before the break before debutant Georginio Wijnaldum put the Magpies ahead early in the second half.
Newcastle turned the game on its head on 48 minutes when they broke away after Krul brilliantly saved a Maya Yoshida header and Gabriel Obertan’s right-wing cross was powered into the net via the head of Wijnaldum. It was the sort of finish entirely in keeping with Wijnaldum’s influential debut.
An arguably even bigger worry for Erwin Koeman – Southampton’s assistant manager and the man in temporary charge after his brother Ronald underwent surgery to fix a ruptured achilles tendon on Friday – was Moussa Sissoko. Moments later, the Newcastle United number one was called into action once again, this time by Tadic.
After Stekelenburg held Cisse’s shot from the edge of the area, Krul had to tip a long-range effort from Tadic wide.
It was McClaren who persuaded the club to offer a contract extension to Fabricio Coloccini, who will be 34 in January.
Newcastle were edging towards the win but Southampton kept fighting and were rewarded when substitute Shane Long headed in after Dusan Tadic did well to pick out the Irishman. Long was on for a tiring Jay Rodriguez, warmly welcomed by Southampton fans as he started his first game after spending more than a year out injured. Aleksandar Mitrovic was left on the bench in favour of Cisse, while neither Mike Williamson nor Yoan Gouffran were even in the matchday squad.
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The Saints went close to pinching the points in stoppage time but Mane had one effort blocked by Jack Colback before he then fired wide with the goal at his mercy.
