BURNLEY 2 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2
Brown Ideye was West Brom’s unlikely saviour as they fought back from two down to draw 2-2 at fellow strugglers Burnley.
West Brom’s record signing almost left the club in the final hours of the winter transfer window on Monday but came off the bench at half-time at Turf Moor to head in the equaliser.
Burnley were two up inside 32 minutes through Ashley Barnes and Danny Ings but Chris Brunt pulled one back just before half time for Albion.
It was a first Premier League goal of the season for Brunt, who lost the captain’s armband to deadline-day signing Darren Fletcher.
The point was enough for Burnley to climb back out of the relegation zone but they desperately needed all three with an extremely tough run of fixtures coming up.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 STOKE CITY 1
Stoke striker Peter Crouch came off the bench to snatch a draw at Newcastle with a dramatic late equaliser.
The home side looked to have won an instantly forgettable game when Jack Colback fired them into a 74th-minute lead.
However Crouch headed fellow substitute Geoff Cameron’s 90th-minute cross over keeper Tim Krul to claim a 1-1 draw on Tyneside and deny head coach John Carver back-to-back Barclays Premier League victories and leave Newcastle still awaiting as first home win of 2015.
Colback might not have been on the pitch to put the Magpies ahead had referee Kevin Friend issued a second caution for a 71st-minute foul on Victor Moses.
The goal briefly raised the spirits of a crowd of just 47,763 - the lowest at St James’ Park this season - but there were boos on the final whistle with Carver’s men having passed up an opportunity to climb into the top 10.
AUSTIN’S INJURY NOT AS SERIOUS, SAY QPR
Top scorer Charlie Austin will miss Queens Park Rangers’ next game due to a bruised foot but the struggling club eased fears he could be out for the rest of the season.
Austin, who has scored 13 league goals this season, left Loftus Road on crutches after limping off in the 1-0 home defeat to Southampton on Saturday.
British media had reported that the prolific hitman, whose excellent form has led to calls for an England call-up, might not feature again during the campaign.
That could be the case for central defender Richard Dunne, however, after the Irishman was ruled out for up to three months with a cruciate knee injury sustained towards the end of Saturday’s game.
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