Clark was sent off after nine minutes.
Eddie Howe has only been at the helm of the club for three weeks, but he must already have thought about the unique nature of the club.
He became the new head coach after the club bungled their pursuit of Unai Emery.
He was struck down with Covid-19 the night before he was supposed to take charge of his first home game.
His new team were down to 10 men within nine minutes of him taking charge.
"Make each day your masterpiece" is a key phrase used in Howe's coaching philosophy, and it was written on a banner at the Gallowgate End prior to the game. Ciaran Clark wrote it all over it.
It galvanised a team which has the worst defence in the league and almost earned a win after a second-half penalty.
The drama never strays from St James' Park. Martin Dubravka made a great save to deny a late cross, which led to Teemu Pukki's goal.
In normal times a point after a man is sent off would be a good result, but these are not normal times.
The takeover of the club by Saudi Arabians seven weeks ago led to fans calling themselves the richest club in the world, but now they are stuck at the bottom of the table with the possibility of being demoted.
Howe said the challenge was huge. We are not under any illusions about the size of the task we face. We need to get the wins we need.
Go straight to the best content in the area.
Howe is cool amid the twists and turns.
Howe showed the best and worst sides of the city.
The team pressed and battled against Dean Smith's team, who are now two places above them, after being bombarded by 50,000 fans on a wet but mild night at St James' Park.
Without suspended skipper Jamaal Lascelles, stand-in captain Wilson led from the front as the team pressured their opponents to the point where an unexpected victory looked likely.
Three weeks of training under Howe appeared to have made them fit.
Two minutes before Wilson's 61st-minute penalty, the three men who replaced Clark were quick to close down the defence near their own corner flag. Howe approved.
"You need the spirit in the group to deliver what you need, and I feel it has grown," he said. That's going to be important for us.
It was a rare moment of joy for the fans of the club.
Flanked by his assistant, Howe never sat down in the sideline as he lectured his players.
He praised Joe Willock and Jonjo Shelvey for their work in the middle of the field, and he also praised the work of the other players, including left out of the team this season.
His stay in the team could be extended by Clark's suspension. There was no words between Howe and the centre-back as he left the field following his pull-back on Pukki.
Howe refocused and made some changes to the game plan at the end of the game.
If poor form continues, transfer window ramifications.
In a week in which they will also face fellow bottom three side Burnley, a point does not make much of a difference to the gap between them and their rivals and repeated failures to win will have wider consequences.
The victory over Crystal Palace does not help, with the side moving further away from the bottom of the table, having started the day in 17th place.
The run of games in December includes games against Manchester United, Manchester City, and Leicester.
Howe said prior to the game that the league position would be a barrier to bringing players in during the January transfer window than any reservations about living in the north east of England.
It's difficult to say we will spend money and sign players, but the owners will support me and the team in trying to achieve what we need."
It also echoes the noises coming out of the club that there will not be a transfer splurge, if that sounded cautious for a team which is 80% owned by Saudi investors worth hundreds of billions of pounds.
There is no set budget. The club will focus on what they need, and whether they can improve on the players they have, but most importantly whether those players are available.
There is a small matter of persuading them to join a team that could be in danger of being demoted. January is an incredibly difficult time to recruit, especially when your league position is not good.
Individual errors have cost Howe victories against Brentford and Norwich in their last two home games.
Improving the backline would appear to be a priority, with more protection in front of the back four coming a close second.
Fans appreciated Howe's praise of the team's defensive resilience, and he walked around the pitch to thank them after the final whistle.
He said that it's in his own hands, but every game we don't win, it becomes harder.
The new ownership has seven games to go before the end of the season.
