Promising from Palace, but ultimately wasted. Schlupp drives to the byline down the left but sees his cross cut out. The home side come again and win a corner that Kouyate heads over. I think Gary Cahill might actually have done his team-mate there, coming in and shoving him before he made contact. Messy.

Eze is one of the players capable of adding the requisite class to make this more than it currently is. He looks lively when he does get on the ball, which is not as often as Palace would like. Saying that, he has just given the ball away with a sloppy attempted through-ball.

Palace come out with a bit of intent and get Schlupp in down the left but his cross has the sting taken out of it by a deflection that loops it into Darlow's grasp.

Here we go then, people. Take a deep breath. We're going back in.

Rob Gibson: Joelinton. Yes he is not worth anything close to £40 million. But he is the best player on the pitch so far tonight for Newcastle. Only one who looks like doing anything.

Image source, gett

In short, it's looking pretty good for you if you have defenders from either of these two in your fantasy team. It's selling your soul to the devil, but at a Black Friday price.

Oh, and since the start of the 2018/19 season, Crystal Palace (34) and Newcastle (32) have been involved in more Premier League games that have been goalless at half-time than any other teams.

Well, Newcastle have now failed to score in the first half of 20 of their last 26 Premier League games.

I so wanted this game to surprise by being brilliant. Consider me totally unsurprised.

It occasionally threatened to come out of its shell, but quickly panicked and shot back in.

Half-chance for Palace's Schlupp. He rises for a tricky header in the box but heads it well wide.

Well, Joelinton almost made me eat my criticism. It's poor defending from Scott Dann that gifts him a chance to shoot from the edge of the box. He goes low but sees his effort saved quite easily.

I'm sticking to my assessment. £40m is ludicrous.

Jamal Lewis tests Guaita with a shot from range. Simple save.

Cheikhou Kouyate needs a bit of treatment after an aerial challenge in the lead up to the effort. He looks to be OK, though.

It astounds me that someone once watched Joelinton and decided he was worth £40m.

Newcastle's first corner comes from an attacking move down the right, involving some nifty play from Wilson and Hendrick.

Shelvey utterly wastes it with a daisy-cutter delivery straight to a Palace man. How many pro footballers hit the first man with set-pieces?

Palace sensing their moment here. Van Aanholt swings a cross into the box but ahead of anyone who could make an attacking contribution.

It's a waste after what was a decent little spell of possession.

Suddenly, Palace spark into life. Schlupp holds off Fernandez to get a shot on target that Darlow palms behind. From a short corner, Eze looks to weave his way to a close-range finish but can't trouble the away keeper.

It's the most dangerous the home side have looked in the first half hour.

Image source, Getty Images

Say it quietly, but there is a game of football desperate to break out of the shackles of this. Palace haven't offered much, but in Eze and Ayew they have direct players willing to take the game to an opponent.

Newcastle have looked the more adventurous, certainly more so than their reputation suggests. But unfortunately, Joelinton has been on the receiving end more than Wilson.

We have now. Eze goes for goal from range and forces Darlow into a decent save to push it away.

We've not had a Palace shot at goal yet.

Newcastle continue to look dangerous, right up until the finale execution. Joelinton charges forward and finds Miguel Almiron wide left, but his return ball is poor, behind everyone in a yellow shirt and easily cleared.