Ferguson: Ronaldo's Better Than Ever

Manchester United annihilated Newcastle United 6-0 at Old Trafford, and Sir Alex Ferguson was understandably happy with his players - if not the referee

Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with his team after Manchester United stunned Newcastle 6-0 at Old Trafford.

Carlos Tevez netted twice and Rio Ferdinand once but the real star was Cristiano Ronaldo who recorded his first ever hat-trick.

Considering the game was goalless at the break, it was unbelievable turn of events, and Fergie was pleased the players heeded his half-time words.

"I thought there were too may individuals in the first half trying to walk the ball into the net," Ferguson told Setanta Sports after the game.



"But once they increased their passing and movement they did better. You always want a quick start," added the Scot when asked whether the early second half strike from Ronaldo allowed the side to settle and the floodgates to open.

"They then relaxed and expressed themselves - it was a marvellous performance. Everyone played their part, some of the play was absolutely outstanding and you couldn't fault it."

The Styles Council

The United boss had less kind words for referee Rob Styles, however, after his team were refused several penalties.

Reflecting on the decisions, Fergie suspected the referee was being purposefully harsh having given United a soft penalty against Fulham in a game earlier this year. "I couldn’t understand Rob," he exclaimed. "I think he’s maybe trying to make a point: 'I did give it last time so I’m not giving it this time'.

Defensive Might



Moving on from those incidents, which ultimately mattered little, the Scot stressed that despite scoring six today, United's success of late has stemmed from stability at the back. "I said last week that our performance against Villa (in the FA Cup) was carved out of a magnificent defensive display and it was the same again today. I think it was N'Zogbia or Duff had a good chance but apart form that we had a great performance."

Ronaldo Better Than Ever

The greatest praise of all, however, was reserved for hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo. "(The hat-trick) was always coming," reflected Fergie of the fact that the hotshot has been scoring goals regularly for some time now.



"He’s been close on so many occasions and today he’s capped a fine performance. 22 goals is fantastic, incredible," enthused the Scot of the Portuguese's monumental goal tally. "We wondered if he could match last season’s (goal count) - well why not! His decision making is better all the time, I think he can do it."

A Fight To The Death

United are back on top of the league now thanks to Arsenal's dropped points, and today's huge win ensures their goal difference is now seven greater than the Gunners'. Nevertheless, Fergie expects the title race to go right down to the wire.

"I think it's a hard league," he said. "It’s tough - teams are taking points off one another a lot. A lot of teams below the top four are spending a lot of money to improve their squads so there's a drive to improve and stay in this premier division. I think the points total (for winning league) could be lower this year."