So near, yet so far. Newcastle United left Craven Cottage with a point after a 1-1 draw on Saturday, a result which doesn’t really help either them or Fulham.

It was an improved performance though, which is progress. The players came together and got a positive result after a week in which their belief in Matthias Jaissle was questioned after damaging reports in the press.

Here are the main talking points from the game.

Jacob Murphy Shows His Quality

31-year-old Murphy has had a tough time lately. People have been questioning his quality, his character, and his place in the team lately, but Murphy answered those criticisms emphatically.

On his day, he is the best crosser that Newcastle has, and he proved that on Saturday. He scored Newcastle’s goal, and it was a great one, a long range shot reminiscent of the double he scored against Tottenham Hotspur a couple of seasons ago.

Murphy is aware of those criticisms too, because after he scored, he cupped his ear at the Newcastle fans and roared – an unusually aggressive celebration for a bubbly character. It showed the pressure he must have been feeling.

He was Newcastle’s best player after Lukas Horníček. He could have had an assist, too, if Dan Burn’s goal hadn’t been disallowed (more on that below).

He is developing a good relationship with Amar Dedić down the right-hand side, which could be very good for Newcastle if it carries on.

Murphy has been criticised for his supposed lack of leadership skills, but the way his teammates ran to him after he scored shows how popular he is.

Yes, he doesn’t have the quality of a Bruno Guimarães or Alexander Isak, but he is still a vital cog in the team.

 Should Burn’s Goal Have Stood?

Burn’s disallowed goal was the big controversial moment of the game, and there were divided opinions on whether it should have been chalked off.

It happened in the 33^rd minute. Newcastle got a corner, which was played short to Murphy. He crossed for Burn, who slotted it past Bernd Leno, but referee Rob Jones saw a foul by Yoane Wissa on Timothy Castagne. It was a shirt tug – but in Jones’ eyes Wissa’s intervention meant that Burn had been played onside, enabling him to score.

Former referees chief Keith Hackett agreed with Jones’ decision, telling Football Insider: “Yes, the number nine [Wissa] has fouled his opponent, therefore it was correct to rule the goal out for that foul.”

Jaissle branded the decision “soft” and compared it to the Everton game, when Thierno Barry’s foul on Fabian Schär was judged to be accidental, and the goal stood.

He may have a point, but referees are coming down harder on fouls in the box now, no matter how soft they are. But perhaps on another day, the decision goes Newcastle’s way.

Newcastle Are Still Struggling To Take Chances

This was a better performance, but the team are still missing chances. The opening 20 minutes was similar to previous games as Newcastle struggled to impose themselves, but they rode the storm and began to come into the game.

The worst offender was Harvey Barnes, who had a couple of good opportunities saved by Leno – including one that he somehow kept out with his face.

Lewis Hall and Joe Willock both had good chances to win the game at 1-1, but neither could convert.

As for the forwards, they had little impact. Wissa had one shot and only managed nine passes in his 61 minutes on the pitch. Will Osula fared little better, with no shots and only two chances created in 85 minutes (stats via BBC Sport).

Newcastle are crying out for quality in the final third. Osula has his moments but can’t produce consistently, and Wissa seems low on confidence and has regressed to the player we saw last season.

It is a conundrum that Jaissle must solve if Newcastle are going to climb out of danger.