Manchester City's quest to tighten their grip on top spot in the Premier League table has been halted during the opening 45 minutes at the Sports Direct Arena.
Roberto Mancini's side dominated large parts of the half, but they were unable to find a way past Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul.
City's first chance fell to Carlos Tevez, but the Argentine's effort from distance was held by Krul.
It took the home side until the half hour mark to register their first effort on target when Demba Ba's effort was blocked by Gael Clichy. The rebound fell to Hatem Ben Arfa, whose shot was parried to safety by Joe Hart.
In the closing stages of the half City midfielder Gareth Barry had two chances to break the deadlock. His first was blocked by Krul, while his low rebound effort was hacked off the line by a retreating Davide Santon.
Victory for City would put them three points clear of rivals Manchester United.
Liam Apicella
