Image:Patrice Evra: Led United's disappointment after the 1-1 draw against Newcastle
Patrice Evra admits Manchester United cannot blame an inexplicable penalty decision for not beating Newcastle.
Frenchman refuses to blame penalty decision for Newcastle draw
Pragmatic Manchester United defender Patrice Evra admits his team cannot solely blame an inexplicable penalty decision for their inability to secure all three points against Newcastle.
The Magpies clinched a controversial 1-1 draw at Old Trafford after Demba Ba converted from the spot midway through the second half.
Linesman John Flynn ruled Rio Ferdinand's challenge on Hatem Ben Arfa was illegal, though replays clearly showed the United man had won the ball in a seemingly well-timed challenge.
Referee Mike Jones refused to overrule his assistant - despite originally only handing a corner kick to the visitors.
Accident
The decision angered Sir Alex Ferguson and United's players as they lost vital ground on leaders Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
But Evra said: "The referee took the responsibility. He went to see the linesman. He said 'are you sure?'
"He said he was sure it was a penalty so the referee trusted his man. What can you say about that?
"But we have to focus more on the chances that we missed because we could have won the game before that accident."
