Fergie: Ronaldo Strike Unstoppable

Sir Alex Ferguson praised Cristiano Ronaldo's match-winning free-kick, insisting that the best goalkeeper in the world wouldn't have been able to save it.

“He’s done it so many times before! It was a fantastic strike. I think the fact that there were so many bodies in the box and in front of the ball, it gave the goalkeeper no chance. He hit it with such speed and bend on the ball that it was very difficult for [Paul Robinson]. It was a fantastic strike.”

Ronaldo was also in the thick of the action at other moments of the game - notably when he got booked, and then for kicking out - which Blackburn felt Ronny was lucky not to get a red card!

“He wasn’t fortunate to be on the pitch at all. Ronaldo got booked for diving, quite right. What did Pedersen do? It was an absolute dive, yet he’s not been booked.

“The referee spoke to him when Ronaldo flicked out [on a challenge on David Dunn]. The boy kicked him, Ronaldo flicked out but it was no more than that. The referee thought it was fine and gave him a warning.

“You see it time and time again with Ronaldo, the press will make a meal of it. He has to live with that kind of examination. But it would have been a ridiculous sending off.