Steve Bruce has explained why Jonjo Shelvey was used as a stand-in centre-back against Liverpool.
Eyebrows were raised when the midfielder took his place in the heart of defence for the last half an hour at Anfield.
However, Shelvey held his own and his calm approach at the back helped lay the foundation for Newcastle to go on and collect a valuable point.
Bruce, speaking after the game, said: "We just wanted him to stay deep or find a pass from deep to try to penetrate Liverpool.
"We know they are always going to play a high line.
"It was something we practised on Friday.
"We played him (in training) in a deep position to get turned around and find a decent pass. Thankfully it worked OK."
Bruce was still seething over the disallowed Callum Wilson goal at Anfield.
VAR chalked off Wilson's strike in a decision that BBC Newcastle pundit John Anderson labelled "scandalous".
Bruce said: "We shouldn't be chalking the first one off.
"It's wrong and it spoils the celebrations for Callum Wilson's goal.
"But to bounce back from it, at Anfield, and to score two in two minutes at Anfield, I don't think it's ever been done before.
"For me, we could have been celebrating a win but that may be rather greedy."
