Durkin confesses to penalty howler

For his candour, Durkin deserves immense credit. Moments earlier, Shearer had appeared in front of the same camera to suggest - with a rueful smile - that the official had been too afraid to give a penalty in front of the Stretford End.

Given that the last away team to score from the spot at Old Trafford were Norwich in 1993, it was easy to sympathise. In admitting his error, however, Durkin immediately brought the matter to a close. If only some of his colleagues would be so up front.

Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson said: 'He's done the honourable thing and I applaud him for that. You can't get everything in this game, can you? We'll forget about that now. The facts will say it wasn't a penalty. That's all that counts.'

Although Newcastle can count themselves unfortunate not to get more from a game to which they contributed fully, at least the penalty decision gave 67,000 people something to talk about as they shuffled home in the cold. Had it not been for that, it is debatable whether many would have remained awake.

The first half was particularly poor. Having won their previous eight games, United began brightly but never built any momentum. Newcastle, meanwhile, enjoyed more possession than perhaps they expected but created little of note.

Paul Scholes, Kleberson and Ruud van Nistelrooy could not make the most of halfchances that came their way before the decisive penalty debate was ignited in the 25th minute.

Gary Neville - who would appear to carry something of a death wish at the moment - sold Howard short with a back-pass and as Shearer closed in, the goalkeeper caught his right ankle.

Down went Shearer, albeit with a little too much enthusiasm, and 'no' said Durkin. In many ways the incident summed up the first half.

Somehow, Durkin also refused to offer yellow cards to both Neville brothers after they clattered in to Olivier Bernard and Jermaine Jenas and Newcastle may have wondered if Durkin was going to give them anything at all.

Happily for the visitors, things were to change. The second half brought more urgency from both teams and as the temperature and the volume from the crowd rose, so did the quality of the play, if only a little. Jenas - a maturing presence in the centre of the field - headed a corner against the bar before Silvestre served notice of his side's determination not to be beaten with three thundering, fair tackles within 30 seconds.

Finally United managed to rouse themselves but, when the red tide turned in the direction of the Newcastle goalmouth, Robson's team proved up to the challenge.

Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given saved comfortably as Scholes and substitutes Diego Forlan and Quinton Fortune tested him from distance. When Newcastle asked for assistance from the referee in the 67th minute they eventually got it.

Durkin had already turned down a penalty appeal for handball as Roy Keane barged into the box and he then had the courage to award a foul against Silvestre when the United man shoved Andy O'Brien out of the way before volleying a corner into the goal.

Somewhat predictably and a little absurdly, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson expressed a view that Durkin had got the decision wrong. Some things just never change.

He said: 'I've heard what Paul Durkin has said about the goal and I don't agree with him. I think it was a harsh decision, just as I think it should have been a penalty for them in the first half.

'He has admitted to one. So he has given himself a 50 per cent get-out clause.'