Gary Neville said Lisandro Martinez got away without a penalty against Newcastle United because he was wrestling with Malick Thiaw. The Magpies wanted a penalty in the first half when Fabian Schar's shot was blocked by the Red Devils' Argentinian defender's arm.

The Video Assistant Referee checked it out but didn't call a penalty because they thought the two defenders were in contact with each other. Before the shot, they had been grappling during a corner, so they were close when Schar got the ball near United's goal area.

Eddie Howe's team was losing at Old Trafford after Patrick Dorgu scored first. But the visitors got better as the game went on and put pressure on the home team.

That looks like a penalty, Neville said. Schar shoots, and his arm is way up in the air.

But is it because he's pushing Thiaw? That might be why he didn't get called.

He's basically wrestling with the other Newcastle defender, so his arms are already up.

If Thiaw weren't there, it would definitely be a penalty. I think he might have been saved because he was wrestling with the other defender, and his arms were already up.

He's saying that because he was fighting with another player, his arms were already up, and he just didn't bring them down.

The visitors won 2-0 at Old Trafford the last time they were there, but they struggled to repeat that after a slow start.

Still, they put on some pressure, with Lewis Hall's hard shot hitting the crossbar.

Newcastle hasn't been doing well away from home, with only one win in their first few games.

The Magpies wanted to move up into the top half of the Premier League and get back in the running for the Champions League.

A loss would leave Newcastle in 11th place, six points behind Chelsea in fourth, and near the bottom half of the table before the holiday games.

On the second-to-last day of the year, Burnley is hosting the Magpies in a game both teams really need to win, with Burnley near the bottom.

Turf Moor has been good to Newcastle recently, with three wins in their last four, as Newcastle really wants a second league win away from home.

Newcastle United fans were angry about the ref, Anthony Taylor, not calling a penalty in the second half at Old Trafford. But let's be real, the finishing was bad too in that Northwest loss on Boxing Day.

Things are getting tense for head coach Eddie Howe. The team's still stuck in the bottom half. They attacked well, but awful choices in the final plays really hurt them. Howe tried everything, making lots of changes in the second half, but nothing worked.

It went dead quiet when Sandro Tonali was subbed off for Joe Willock near the end—a weird move. It feels like Howe and his staff are out of ideas, and it showed against a Man United team missing seven players, including their main guy, Bruno Fernandes.

After Lisandro Martinez blocked the ball with his arms, Newcastle fans started chanting some stuff about knowing where Anthony Taylor lives, referencing his address in Altrincham.

Ignoring the penalty drama for a second, that Man United team was beatable, right? Nobody was scared when they saw the lineup before the game.

But if Man United needed a boost, Newcastle handed it to them, along with the lead, after some terrible defending from yet another throw-in.

The Red Devils got a corner early on, with Mason Mount crossing the ball in, but Casemiro headed it way over. Man United—in a 4-2-3-1 formation—seemed to have extra energy, like when Manuel Ugarte charged into Bruno Guimaraes to win the ball back early on.

A Patrick Dorgu cross found Benjamin Sesko, who had plenty of space to turn and shoot, but he missed. Newcastle responded with a corner, Sandro Tonali crossing it in for Bruno Guimaraes, but Senne Lammens saved it.

Halfway through the first half, Newcastle was putting pressure on Man United, earning four corners. But Man United still threatened, and Matheus Cunha reminded everyone with a shot that Aaron Ramsdale barely stopped.

Newcastle didn't learn from that warning, and soon enough, they were having another defensive crisis. Diogo Dalot's long throw-in from the left was headed out by Nick Woltemade, but only as far as Dorgu, who scored easily, beating Ramsdale.

As Newcastle tried to get back in the game, Man United attacked again, feeling confident. Dorgu tried to chip Ramsdale, but the goalie stopped it. Later, Dorgu attacked down the right again, and Ramsdale saved his low shot.

With just a few minutes left in the first half, Jacob Murphy sent the ball across the goal, but it missed Woltemade. Newcastle went into halftime trailing, with only one shot on target.

Man United subbed Mount out for Jack Fletcher at halftime. Newcastle had a chance right after the restart when Woltemade back-heeled the ball to Ramsey, but he tripped at the worst moment.

Later, Miley's corner was partially cleared before Fabian Schar shot at the goal, but Dorgu made a key play. Ugarte took advantage of a mistake from Bruno, setting up Sesko, but he only hit the bar.

Newcastle had the ball for a while but didn't score, so Lewis Hall tried his luck, hitting the bar. Shortly after, Schar's shot hit Martinez's arm, but VAR didn't call a penalty.

Later, Murphy slipped the ball to Gordon, but he missed the far post. Soon after, Murphy, Woltemade, and Ramsey were taken off, replaced by Harvey Barnes, Yoane Wissa, and Joelinton. Tonali was booked for a foul on Dorgu.

From the free kick, the ball was crossed in for Dalot, but he shot over the bar. Tonali was then replaced by Joe Willock, and even though Tonali was on a yellow card, the Newcastle fans didn't really react.

Gordon crossed the ball in for Joelinton, but the goalie easily caught his weak shot. Bruno lost the ball in midfield, and Cunha missed.

With a few minutes left, Barnes passed to Gordon in the middle, but he shot it way over. Hall's cross was flicked on by Wissa, but Miley shot high.

Newcastle pushed for a deserved tie, with most of the possession and a lot of shots, but they missed a big chance to beat a beatable Man United team.

That's six wins in the last 20 games for Howe and his team. Losing to Burnley isn't an option.