Allardyce questions officials

lackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce believes his side were robbed of a penalty in their 2-1 defeat at Manchester United. A Wayne Rooney goal and a Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick either side of a strike from Rovers forward Roque Santa Cruz saw Premier League leaders United stretch their winning run to 10 games.But Allardyce - whose side remain in the relegation zone as a result of the loss - feels Rovers should have been awarded a chance to salvage an equaliser from the penalty spot.Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson has accused Morten Gamst Pedersen of diving when home defender Rafael Da Silva placed his hands on the Norway international inside the United 18-yard area. But Allardyce believes referee Howard Webb was wrong not to point to award the spot-kick, saying: "As far as Pedersen goes, Sir Alex has his opinion, I have a different one.Blatant"Unfortunately, most clubs might not get a decision like that here. It wasn't a blatant one but it was a penalty. Pedersen got pulled and tugged."Allardyce, though, did not want to comment on the fact that Ronaldo - who was booked for diving in the second half - escaped further punishment after seemingly retaliating against Rovers midfielder David Dunn. "You would have to ask Howard Webb about the kick on Dunn. It was 56 minutes," he added.Allardyce, whose team visit Coventry in an FA Cup fifth-round replay on Tuesday, saw his players push United all the way and the Ewood Park boss acknowledges three points would have provided a vital lift in the battle against the drop."We had a couple of opportunities to get ourselves in front, one just before half-time and another after it when Ryan Nelsen hit a post," Allardyce continued."It would have been a real bonus for us today."

Source: SKY_Sports