Manchester United saw their Premiership title defense get off to a stuttering start as they were held to a 1-1 draw by an impressive Newcastle United side at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Newcastle United took a shock lead midway through the first half as Obafemi Martins headed home past Edwin van der Sar but United equalized two minutes later when Darren Fletcher slotted home a great cross by Ryan Giggs. Nemanja Vidic saw his header strike the bar but it was a deserved point for Newcastle who looked on par with their illustrious opponents in all areas of the pitch.

United received a set back before the match when Carlos Tevez flew home back to Argentina due to a family bereavement which meant that Wayne Rooney was the only recognized striker in the United line up. Fraizer Campbell got his first start for United but was unable to replace the dogged determination of Tevez and missed a golden chance to score as he headed straight onto Shay Given's head early in the match.

The visitors took a shock lead in the 22nd minute when Martins rose high to meet James Milner's corner and headed home past a helpless van der Sar to put his side in front. However the lead was short lived as Fletcher raced forward to meet Giggs' pin-point cross before slotting it past Given.

With Ronaldo, Carrick, Anderson and Tevez all unavailable, United struggled to create any real chances in the second half, though Campbell almost snatched all three points later in the game with a brilliant run that saw Given deny the striker with a stunning one handed save.