Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew admits they were fortunate with their spotkick for the 1-1 draw at Manchester United.

Pardew accepted his team had "got a break", although he did feel Ferdinand had taken a chance by sliding in.

"It was a good spell for us," he said. "We put them under pressure and you can get something when you do that, even against the best teams.

"I thought the tackle was risky.

"He definitely played the ball. I have seen it.

"Whether the referee thought he took a bit of Hatem before he got the ball is debatable.

"If it was against me I would be very aggrieved.

"We got a break but we still had to score the goal and Demba was very cool. The place was going mad. I wouldn't have liked to take it."