England, Nov 26: Manchester United conceded a contentious penalty to draw 1-1 with Newcastle at Old Trafford on Saturday, dealing a blow to its bid to retain the Premier League title.
United defender Rio Ferdinand was judged to have brought down Hatem Ben Arfa in the 61st minute, although replays suggested the England international had made a perfectly valid tackle.
Demba Ba kept his composure to convert the spot kick after a two-minute delay, drawing Newcastle level after United striker Javier Hernandez's 49th-minute goal.
Newcastle played the last 12 minutes with 10 men after Jonas Gutierrez was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Patrice Evra.
Hernandez had a goal disallowed for offside in the fourth minute of stoppage time.