It's been a rough first 45 minutes for Manchester United at home against Newcastle United, though they have a legitimate argument that they should not be behind. They haven't played very well against the Magpies and have allowed their opponents to have way too many good opportunities, but the most recent goal in the match was a controversial one, and they might not deserve to trail 2-1.
Manchester United vs. Newcastle United: Halftime score 1-2, controversy at Old Trafford on Boxing Day
The first goal came as a result of two successive errors, first from Michael Carrick, then by David De Gea. Carrick gifted possession to Newcastle with a giveaway, which led to a Demba Ba shot. David De Gea spilled the ball right into the path of James Perch, who had an easy finish.
United's equalizer came on a free kick by Robin van Persie, though his free kick didn't do anything to guide the ball into the net. It was a poor effort, but Ryan Giggs managed to move the ball along and find Javier Hernandez in traffic. 'Chicharito' put a good shot on target that was saved by Tim Krul, but Jonny Evans was there to punch in the rebound.
Late in the half, Evans' luck changed. He poked in an own goal that initially looked like it would be disallowed when the linesman's flag went up. Papiss Cisse was offside on the move and looked to make contact with Evans when he poked the ball into his own net, but Mike Dean ruled that Cisse did not interfere with play and allowed the goal to stand.
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