Stalemate ?

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he “can’t have too many complaints” after United began the season with a frustrating draw at home to Newcastle.

United began brightly enough, but Newcastle managed to take the lead in one of their rare genuine attempts on goal when the unmarked Obafemi Martins scored with a header on 22 minutes. Darren Fletcher’s reply came two minutes later, but the Reds couldn’t build on the Scot's equaliser.

“In the first half we played well,” added the boss. “[Shay Given] was fortunate when Fraizer Campbell’s header hit him on the head. He made three or four good saves, actually. They took the lead, but when we got the equaliser straight away I thought that would have sent us on our way.”

In the second half, however, United’s attacking intent was blunted following injuries to Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs. Sir Alex said: “Our attacking play was good in the first half. But in the second half, having lost Michael and then Ryan to injury, we lost a bit of experience at a vital moment in the game.

“Without the proper balance to the team in terms of width, it was a struggle in the second half for us. We couldn’t break them down, although we hit the bar through Vidic, but nothing too dangerous.”