Edgar equaliser costs United

Teenager David Edgar snatched a precious 2-2 draw for Newcastle as Manchester United were denied a nine-point lead at the top of the Barclays Premiership.

The 19-year-old defender saw Paul Scholes deflect home his 77th-minute 30-yarder to deny Sir Alex Ferguson's men a fourth successive league win.

James Milner had blasted the Magpies in front with a 33rd-minute piledriver, but a Scholes double either side of half-time gave the visitors the upper hand.

Keeper Shay Given had to make a fine block to deny Louis Saha after 25 minutes, before Scott Parker headed a Saha effort over his own bar seconds later.

However, it was the Magpies who took the lead after 33 minutes when Kieron Dyer picked Milner out on the left and the England Under-21 international cut inside before blasting an unstoppable right-foot shot past Edwin Van der Sar.

Given then had to keep out a point-blank Wayne Rooney effort, but he was finally beaten on 40 minutes when Scholes ran onto Ryan Giggs' lay-off and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.

Antoine Sibierski should have restored Newcastle's lead on half-time when he headed a Nolberto Solano cross at Van der Sar's legs, but the visitors responded immediately as Park Ji-Sung clipped a post.

United needed only 22 seconds of the second half to edge 2-1 ahead and it was Scholes who netted again, firing through Steven Taylor's legs and past the unsighted Given.

However, Newcastle equalised on 73 three minutes when Edgar took aim from 30 yards and saw his shot, with the help of a significant deflection off Scholes, nestle inside Van der Sar's left post.

United hammered away as the clock ran down, Rooney dragging a shot wide, Solano heading a Cristiano Ronaldo effort off the line and Park lifting his shot over, but Newcastle hung on for a draw.