KEVIN Keegan may be gone, but some things never change. Just as Newcastle's travelling fans were looking for a calming influence after the events of last weekend, they got another erratic performance in the best traditions of the Keegan regime.

Two goals up within 21 minutes, in the end they were left thanking Shaka Hislop for a penalty save which salvaged them a point.

All the old defensive frailties were exposed yet again. leaving Terry McDermott's cardiologist delighted he hasn't been offered the job permanently.

Villa, for their part, looked anything but the Premiership's meanest defence, but showed buckets of determination to get a point from a game Brian Little will probably feel they should have won.

Positionally, Newcastle looked less threatening than usual, while Villa looked shakier than for a long time.

Gareth Southgate returned for them in the place of injured lan Taylor, but too often Ehiogu, Tiler and particularly Staunton looked surprisingly uneasy.

The opening was frenetic as if both sides were trying to show that the week's events hadn't distracted them.

Shearer played the ball back to Lee Clark at the edge of the area and his low shot flew just wide. Just a minute later, Villa should have taken the lead. A long ball from Alan Wright into the corner caught Peacock and Albert on the back foot. When Yorke stole in at the corner of the six yard box, he really should have done better, but only hit the side netting.

Then came the moment that Staunton will want to forget. Peter Beardsley got the ball inside his own half, looked up and threaded it through to Shearer running in behind the defender. It was Staunton's ball. but Shearer just brushed him aside and tucked it under Bosnich for his 18th goal of the season.

If they thought that was easy, it was nothing compared to the second goal just five minutes later. With the ball in Bosnich's hands Shearer had a little tug. The keeper continued his run, then flicked and miskicked straight to Lee Clark at the edge, who calmly lobbed it into an empty net.

Bosnich protested but to no avail. At that point, the visitors looked in too good a position to give it all away, but that's exactly what they did six minutes before half-time. A free kick was driven in and flicked off a Villa head out to Wright on the left. He in turn drove across low and hard into the six yard box and, when the defence couldn't deal with it, there was Yorke to side foot home.

Newcastle looked shaken and after that Milosevic and Johnson both had chances and it was no surprise that the equaliser came soon after.

Staunton traded places with Southgate for the second half and within seven minutes he made the manager's decision look the right one. Picking up the ball at the left edge of the box, he skipped through two challenges, hit a low shot that Hislop parried, before Milosevic prodded home.

By this stage. Newcastle started to look a bit of a shambles. Peacock lived up to his erratic reputation with a back pass his goalkeeper had no chance of getting.

A ball over the top had Milosevic bearing down on goal. Albert rushed in but his tackle was from behind and the referee Graham Poll pointed to the spot. Up stepped Yorke but hit it poorly and Hislop saved both the kick and Yorke's rebound. He soon had the chance to make up for it. Put clear by the growing influence of Staunton, he bore down on the Newcastle goal but his left-footed drive was again saved. The game fell into a lull after that but Clark had a good effort near the end, before Staunton (by now the man of the match) drove just over as the home side finished the stronger.