Alan Shearer admits he does not know how many points will keep Newcastle up after seeing two go begging in a goalless draw against Portsmouth.The 38-year-old could only look on helplessly as Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins all passed up good opportunities, the best of them falling to the England international, to claim all three points from a game Shearer had insisted was a must-win affair.

High-flying Liverpool now await the Magpies on Sunday but, asked if they now need to return from either Anfield or Aston Villa on the final day of the season with something to show for their efforts, Shearer was non-committal.

He said: "I don't know, I really don't know. I don't know what is going to be enough to stay up.

"I would dearly love to think we could go there and get something - we will be trying to do that - but I really don't know, I can't tell you.

"I don't know what is going to be enough to stay up."

Shearer went for broke by fielding all three of his big-name strikers and the ploy might have worked had skipper Owen not fluffed his lines when presented with the game's gilt-edged opportunity.

Played in by Viduka with 63 minutes gone, he could only fire against David James' legs and, with Martins and Viduka also failing to convert the best chances with which they were presented either side of half-time, Newcastle's hopes of a much-needed victory ebbed away.

James had earlier turned away Damien Duff's first-half drive as the Magpies threw everything they had at Pompey.

However, it was the visitors who finished the stronger and Peter Crouch, who shot straight at Steve Harper with 11 minutes remaining, and Richard Hughes, who headed against the post three minutes later, might have increased the home side's woes further.

Shearer said: "It's ironic, really, the three players that I wanted up there all had one very good chance each and you would expect at least one of those to go in.

"We are relying on other people. Results went for us at the weekend, apart from the Blackburn one.

"It's going to be a tense end to the season, we all know that. The way the season has gone tells us that this year.

"We have got to make sure we are still in there fighting come the second last, come the last game of the season.

"We have got to make sure we are in there fighting."

Pompey manager Paul Hart, who confirmed midfielder Niko Kranjcar's season has been ended by his ankle injury, was happy enough with a point but refused to accept his side are safe ahead of Saturday's home clash with Arsenal.

He said: "I think one win will be probably viewed as safe but I am reluctant to talk about that because it's looking somewhere I don't want to be.

"We have got to stay focused on getting these results. We have got a big game on Saturday and I would expect us to be looking for a result there."

Pompey striker Peter Crouch went down under a challenge by defender Fabricio Coloccini, and Hart was certain it was a foul.

He said: "Having looked at it, I thought it was a penalty when I saw it. And it is a penalty now. Definitely.

"Peter Crouch doesn't dive."

On the display, Hart added: "I am very satisfied with a clean sheet and a point but I think a tinge of disappointment that we didn't get all three.

"I thought it was a very tough game. A very emotional game. Newcastle tried to throw the kitchen sink at it.

"We were disciplined. We thought we got the tactics right to play against them. There was some massive performance from us tonight.

"Newcastle had a couple of chances but I think on reflection we had the edge, especially in the second half - I thought we were fantastic."

More Football News from TEAMtalk