The Crew entered the match without starting goalkeeper William Hesmer because of injury and back-up keeper Andy Gruenebaum was sent off in the 45th minute for handling the ball outside the penalty area as he slid to stop a break.
Crew coach Robert Warzycha: “You have fans in the stadium who came to see a good game and came to see the players.
“It was difficult for us to play the second half and for the fans to enjoy the game.
“It was the referee's decision, but if he had given a yellow card, everyone would have appreciated that.”
Alan Pardew: “The referee, probably knowing that he'd be criticized heavily if he didn't send him off fully, thought that was the correct decision.
“I'd prefer he hadn't. Of course we didn't want that for (the) Crew. Certainly the second half was a little bit easier for us.”