Carly Mallenbaum

USA TODAY

Lester Holt wasn't one of the candidates debating Monday night, but his performance was closely scrutinized.

"I'm honored to have this role, but the evening belongs to the candidates," Holt said at Hofstra University at the start of the first presidential debate of the year. But that didn't mean Twitter ignored to the NBC Nightly News anchor Monday night. In fact, it seemed as though viewers felt that Holt was ignoring them.

Many people on Twitter gave Holt's handling of #debatenight Matt Lauer-level reviews. Here's how viewers reacted:

He had a good start, asking for "specifics."

Holt asked Trump two follow-up questions, looking for "specifics" the first time, and then for the candidate to "specifically" answer the second time.

Then, Holt relinquished control.

He let Trump and Clinton go at it.

When Holt finally tried to step in, it didn't go well.

Trump kept interrupting Clinton, leaving Holt to look like a substitute teacher trying to control an unruly classroom.

Trump didn't stop interrupting. Viewers were not pleased.

Many on Twitter blamed Holt for missing in action. Others sympathized with him.

But Holt finally got Twitter excited: He segued into the topic of race.

Off they went ...

And Holt fact-checked Trump.

The moderator said the stop-and-frisk practice was ruled unconstitutional. Trump disagreed. Later, Holt fact-checked Trump on his views on the Iraq war.

Later, Holt brought up the birther issue.

Talk of Barack Obama's birth certificate made it into the debate, to mixed reviews.

After that, viewers wondered again where Holt went.

He tried to give the candidates just two minutes each for answers on international affairs, but both Trump and Clinton ignored that request.

Finally, Holt let the debate run long.

It was supposed to end at 10:30 ET, but it ran 10 minutes late. We "didn't cover everything as I suspected we wouldn't," Holt admitted. Viewers were unimpressed.

Trump, however, gave the moderator a positive review in an answer to CNN.