Bournemouth 2-2 Newcastle United

Dwight Gayle has scored 28 league goals since the start of last season, more than twice as many as any other Newcastle player

Dan Gosling scored an 89th-minute equaliser as Bournemouth came back from 2-0 down to draw, after his old club Newcastle missed gilt-edged chances to kill the game off.

Dwight Gayle's double had given the visitors a two-goal lead at the break.

The striker's first came on 17 minutes as Jonjo Shelvey's wonderful through ball found Matt Ritchie, whose cross across the box was missed by defender Steve Cook and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, allowing Gayle to finish at the second attempt with a backheel.

The second, just before half-time came from another Begovic mistake when Ayoze Perez's cross went underneath the Bosnian keeper and Gayle was able to tap in at the back post.

The Cherries could have had a case for a penalty soon after the interval as Jamaal Lascelles jumped into Ryan Fraser, but referee Roger East waved away their appeals.

But Bournemouth rarely threatened before Magpies keeper Martin Dubravka had to make a stunning one-handed save to deny Cook's header on 75 minutes.

Perez and Shelvey missed great chances to wrap up the win with a third Newcastle goal, before substitute Adam Smith scored a screamer, firing his shot off the underside off the crossbar to beat Dubravka.

The Cherries kept attacking and were rewarded with the equaliser, as ex-Newcastle midfielder Gosling side-footed in Nathan Ake's pass from close range.

The result left Bournemouth in 10th place, though Watford's win later dropped them to 11th - while Newcastle drop to 15th.

Bournemouth's comeback

It was a poor first half from the home side, who managed only one shot on target - a Callum Wilson effort that was palmed away by Dubravka in the 10th minute.

They were undone by Begovic's mistakes and some poor defending, while they also struggled with Newcastle's pressing and urgency, with their attackers reduced to long-range efforts.

Although they grew into the game in the second half, they had Cook and Ake to thank for some vital interceptions to stop Newcastle scoring a third, while they were also helped by the visitors' profligacy in front of goal.

The arrival of Jermain Defoe in the 73rd minute seemed to lift the crowd, the England striker making his first appearance since suffering an ankle injury in December.

While Smith's goal came as a surprise, Gosling's came down to resolve and they thoroughly deserved the equaliser as Newcastle crumbled and the visitors then had to hold on for a point as Bournemouth pressed for a winner in stoppage time.

Two points dropped by Newcastle

This was a case of two points lost for Newcastle, unchanged from the win over Manchester United, who looked comfortable until they threw away a two-goal lead in the last 10 minutes.

They had briefly leapfrogged their opponents into 10th place until Gosling's late equaliser which prevented the Magpies from recording back-to-back league wins for the first time since September.

It had been an almost perfect first half for the visitors as Shelvey controlled the game in midfield and they looked dangerous in attack with the front four of Gayle, Perez, Kenedy and ex-Cherries favourite Ritchie.

The players seemed to be fighting for their Premier League futures as they hustled Bournemouth and worked much harder than the home side.

After the break, Perez should have scored as Gayle's free-kick went through the Bournemouth wall, but the Spaniard flicked his shot over from close range.

Then Shelvey should have made it 3-0 as Christian Atsu squared for the midfielder, but after he missed an open goal, the energy seemed to sap away and the visitors were left clinging on for a point.

Man of the match - Dwight Gayle (Newcastle)

Gayle ended an 11-game scoreless streak in the league with his first-half double and he also had the most shots in the game with five. He was unlucky to be substituted on a hat-trick in the 78th minute, with his side leading 2-0

'Self-inflicted' mistakes

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, speaking to BBC Sport: "We had been flat - Newcastle were dogged and made it difficult for us, but you have to compliment the players for the last 10 minutes - that is what we wanted to be, we showed a lot of quality and character to come back.

"We started OK but conceded a poor goal and the second one wasn't pretty either. They were both self-inflicted really, and it is incredibly difficult to lift yourself up from there.

"It's another point that nudges us towards where we want to be - every one could be vital at the end of the season."

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez: "It is always difficult when you have a team that is pushing at home but we had the chances to finish the game and didn't do it, we have to improve on that.

"We were I think in control of the game and had a clear idea of how to do things. They didn't have too many chances, I would say that the chance that we missed [Shelvey's] and then the goal they scored quickly after, that changed everything. After that, we lost control. We have lost two points."

Stats - Cherries are the comeback kings

• Bournemouth have picked up 13 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, a joint-high along with Everton.

• Newcastle failed to win a Premier League game after being two goals up at half-time for the first time since February 2012 (a 2-2 draw against Wolves).

• Bournemouth have gone eight Premier League home games without a clean sheet, their longest such run at Vitality Stadium.

• Newcastle bagged two first-half goals away from home for the first time in the Premier League since March 2014 against Hull.

• Mohamed Diame made his 200th Premier League appearance, becoming only the second Senegalese player to hit this milestone after El-Hadji Diouf (243).

• Dwight Gayle ended a run of 11 Premier League appearances without a goal.

What's next?

Bournemouth travel to Leicester on Saturday (15:00 GMT), while Newcastle are at Liverpool (17:30 GMT).