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Strategist Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that a favorable decision from the referee also contributed to the victory in the match against London's "Fulham."
The English champions narrowly defeated the capital's team 1-0, but things could have gone differently if the referee had awarded a penalty to Michael Carrick for fouling Danny Murphy at the end of the game.
"Of course, they could have asked for a penalty," Ferguson said. "But the referee was a bit lenient and in the first half, when 'Fulham' touched the ball with their hand in the penalty area. Patrice Evra was convinced that a penalty should have been given then. Perhaps this episode had an impact on the later events, as Carrick certainly fouled Murphy."
Meanwhile, "Fulham" manager Martin Jol did not hide his anger: "No one could say that Murphy simulated the foul. A few years ago, a ball entered the goal on this stadium and was at least a meter over the line, but the goal was not counted. Maybe things just happened too quickly then. But this time, a brave decision needed to be made: either give a yellow card for simulation or a penalty. I think the second option."
Images from the match: (you can see the controversial episode at the 15th minute)
