Newcastle were denied victory by an injury-time goal for the second game running as Aaron Lennon struck to rescue a point for Tottenham.

Having thrown away a win at Sunderland last week, Newcastle will rue their inability to defend a lead after Lennon's shot crept in.

A superb finish from Fabricio Coloccini had earlier given the Magpies the lead.

And Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best all went close for the home side, but were unable to convert.

The draw ended a run of four straight league defeats at St James' Park for Tottenham stretching back to 2004 and just about keeps their Premier League title hopes alive.

For the hosts, however, it will be considered a case of another two points dropped on the back of their gut-wrenching draw at the Stadium of Light last Sunday, even though the point moved the Magpies up to seventh in the table.

In the week that Tottenham hope will have helped them take a big step towards a move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, this match at St James' Park - one of 12 English grounds with a larger capacity than White Hart Lane - provided a timely insight into what delights a bumper home crowd might provide for the Londoners in a new stadium.

But there was not a huge amount of goalmouth action on show in the first half to cheer the 51,010 in attendance.

Despite a nervy start from debutant Steven Pienaar and the early loss of Gareth Bale with what looked the recurrence of a back injury, Tottenham enjoyed plenty of possession.

Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric, in particular, were a constant thorn in Newcastle's side, while Lennon and Jermain Defoe were lively - if a little lacking in end product - in the visitors' attack.

But it was Newcastle, disciplined and hard-working as ever under Alan Pardew, who forged the better openings early on.

Ameobi twice lashed high and wide from inside the area, while Best forced the hosts' clearest effort of the half when he outmuscled Sebastien Bassong to get on the end of Jose Enrique's deep cross, only to see his effort bounce up on to the underside of the bar.

By contrast, it was not until the 45th minute that Tottenham forced Steve Harper into any meaningful action, the Magpies keeper reacting well to beat Defoe's shot away after a delightful flick from Van der Vaart had set the Spurs striker free inside the box.

The second half, however, brought chances aplenty - kick-started by Coloccini's goal.

The Argentine, having earlier made an excellent block to deny Pienaar a debut goal from eight yards out, broke the deadlock on the hour, chesting Danny Guthrie's pass down in the box and firing into the far corner.

It was a fine way for the defender to mark his 100th Newcastle game, though Spurs keeper Carlo Cudicini - in because of a shoulder injury to Heurelho Gomes - could have done better having got a left hand to it.

And it could have been worse for Tottenham as Newcastle forced a series of openings with the visitors chasing an equaliser.

First substitute Lovenkrands was denied by a smart Cudicini save one-on-one after being set through by Joey Barton, and then Ameobi's excellent left-foot curler was palmed around the post.

Ameobi also headed wide when completely unmarked from a Barton corner before substitute Nile Ranger almost capped a great run into the box with a neat finish late on, his shot slipping past the far post.

For their part, Tottenham always looked a threat, despite lacking their usual fluency going forward.

If it was not Harper keeping them at bay, it was the woodwork. Lennon's firm shot was kept out low at his near post by the keeper and Modric then rattled the bar from 20 yards.

But just as it looked like Tottenham would come away with nothing, Lennon received Defoe's lay-off, cut in from the left, and struck a low shot inside the post from 20 yards to send the visiting fans into raptures.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew on the contribution of goalscorer Fabricio Coloccini: "I thought he was the stand-out player in the game, personally. He was brilliant in the back four today.

"He made a tackle on Defoe in the first five minutes of the second half where he detached himself from the player he was marking and stopped a goal.

"Then he went up the other end and once he had chested it and brought it inside, he is so proficient technically, I fancied him to get a good hit, which he did.

"It was a great, great goal, I am so pleased for him. He is a really likeable character."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp: "When you are losing 1-0 that late in the game, it's a point gained. You are obviously delighted in the end to get something out of the game.

"But credit to Newcastle, they are a dangerous side.

"They are playing well and on the counter attack, they were always a threat, always a danger."