Ronaldo bemused by booking

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WINNER: Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.

CRISTIANO Ronaldo has questioned why he got a yellow card but Morten Gamst Pedersen escaped punishment during Manchester United’s win over Blackburn.

The pair were involved in contentious incidents at either end of the field during the second half of United’s 2-1 home success.

But while Ronaldo was booked for diving, referee Howard Webb merely chose to wave play on when Pedersen went down under Rafael Da Silva’s challenge.

“I didn’t think Blackburn’s claim was a penalty,” he said.

“The referee did not give it anyway. He didn’t give the player anything either, but he gave me a yellow.”

Sir Alex Ferguson was even more forceful in his condemnation of an incident he felt was clear-cut – even if his opposite number Sam Allardyce had a different view.

“It is not a blatant one, but Da Silva has had a little tug,” argued Allardyce, who refused to rebuke his player for hitting the deck.

“You have to make the referee’s mind up – Kevin Davies will tell you that.

“He gets fouled more than anyone else in the Premier League. He stays on his feet and never gets fouls. What do you do?”

The latter incident denied Rovers a point; the former was part of a stormy five-minute period during which Ronaldo might easily have been sent off if Webb had taken a less lenient view of a clash with David Dunn that Ferguson felt was sensible but fears others may not.

“I know people will make a meal of it. But it was no more than a flick, and the referee gave him a warning. You see it time and time again,” said Ferguson.

“He has to live with the examination of him. It would have been a ridiculous sending off.”

Ronaldo fired home a brilliant match-winning free-kick on the hour-mark after Roque Santa Cruz had levelled Wayne Rooney’s 23rd-minute opener.

Portuguese star Ronaldo added: “I am quite happy with the goal – it was a good free-kick. It’s not possible to play beautiful football all the time; sometimes you have to win ugly.”