Ferguson, who turns 71 on December 31, will escapepunishmentfrom the English Football Association because the incident was not mentioned in the referee's report, much to Pardew's astonishment.
The home side adopted a route one approach when Marcus Hahnemann's long kick was flicked on by Kevin Doyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake wriggled clear of the commanding Zat Knight, but he tried to punch the ball into the net, only to see his effort rebound off a post and he was lucky to escapepunishmentfrom referee Peter Walton.