Steve Bennett - Referee Extraordinaire - Or Just A Tosser

Steve Bennett, the referee who is blind to any all out assaults on Cristiano Ronaldo, should have gone to Specsavers. It now transpires that he issued Steven Taylor with a yellow card for the tackle he made on Ronaldo and the three officials at the game saw nothing of the forearm smash he delivered to Ronaldo, so it looks like Steven Taylor is in the clear, maybe.

Bennett is accustomed to 'victimising' Ronaldo, as Sir Alex puts it, he has sent him off twice before, one time at Portsmouth and again at Manchester City earlier this season. Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo is an 'easy target' for Premier League referees. The Manchester United star was booked for diving during last Sunday's Carling Cup semi-final when TV replays proved he was knocked over by Ledley King.

And at Newcastle on Wednesday night, Steven Taylor escaped a red card when he caught the world player of the year with a flailing arm. Ferguson was sure the Football Association would take more action against the England Under-21 captain once they saw the incident again, claiming afterwards: "I don't think he is out of trouble."

Speaking on MUTV Ferguson said he feels the 24-year-old's extreme talent is making him fair game. "Ronaldo is an easy target for the referees, it is easy to give decisions against him because he is such a great player and he is so celebrated. When he is away from home every crowd boos him, so he has to handle that. But it is not helping him."

The unsavoury incident - and the subsequent tunnel row involving Taylor and Wayne Rooney with has also now been dismissed - has largely obscured another three points for United who had to come from behind for the first time this season to win the game. Since returning from Japan United have won ten straight league games.

With just 11 games remaining, Ferguson knows just eight more triumphs will be enough to seal an 18th championship, allowing them to move alongside Liverpool, who led the personal feud 18-7 when the Premier League era began in 1992.....Back To Home Page...