Boss: Ronaldo was robbed

Sir Alex believes Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a clear penalty against Fulham because of an unjust reputation as a "diver".

Ronaldo went down under a challenge from Fulham goalkeeper Antti Niemi in the 79th minute but referee Rob Styles booked the Portuguese winger for simulation.

Unlike similar incidents where strikers go to ground after pushing the ball too far in front, Ronaldo never looked in danger of losing control. Had Niemi not clipped his heels, Ronaldo would undoubtedly have gone on to tap in his third of the night.

"The penalty incident is a result of the referee's perceived idea that Ronaldo dives," Sir Alex told Setanta Sports. "There's no question about that. Why would he want to dive? Ronaldo was going full pelt, he was past the goalkeeper, he's on a hat-trick… it was a ridiculous decision."

The United boss also said Fulham stopper Niemi had "conned" the referee.

"I think all goalkeepers will try that [to claim they didn't touch the attacker] but it's up to the referee to interpret that. It was the wrong decision – it's as simple as that."