Cristiano Ronaldo was delighted to fire United to victory over
Fulham, but felt aggrieved not to complete his hat-trick after
being denied a clear penalty.
The 22-year-old volleyed home brilliantly on 10 minutes and headed
a second just before the hour to complete a 2-0 win for the
Reds.
He looked likely to be handed a chance to seal his treble when he
was brought down by Cottagers' stopper Antti Niemi after being put
clean through on goal.
But referee Rob Styles opted instead to book Ronaldo for diving,
much to the winger's bemusement.
"The ref took the decision and although I respect it, I don't have
the same opinion," he told MUTV afterwards. "It's a penalty. If he
watches the replay, he'll see that the keeper doesn't touch the
ball.
"It's frustrating to get a yellow card for it, but that's the way
football goes and sometimes referees make mistakes. I don't think
he did a great job tonight, but the most important thing is the
three points."
Ronaldo's goals were his 12th and 13th of the campaign and even
though he missed out on sealing his first hat-trick for the club,
he's more than happy with his current goals' ratio.
"My mum sometimes says to me 'why do you never score a hat-trick?!'
But I always tell her I'm happy to keep scoring two goals," he
joked.
"I'm a winger, not a striker, but my mentality is always to try and
help the team, whether it is by making a goal or scoring
one."