CRISTIANO RONALDO missed the last penalty he took, in the Champions League final shootout. He scored one here but it was less a tale of redemption than one of sinning. Another black day for men in black.

In the 24-hour sports news age, referees are often judged without perspective or restraint but for a second successive Saturday there was a high-profile error from a match official which even the love child of David Elleray and Pierluigi Collina would find hard to justify. “I can’t think of any [other] team in the world who ask you to play against the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carloz Tevez, yet we were doing okay and had had the best chance of the game,” said Bolton manager Gary Megson, entirely accurately. “But unfortunately to that four you had to add Rob Styles.”

Styles’s act of incompetence was one to rival the ghost goal Stuart Atwell and his assistant, Nigel Bannister, concocted on Reading’s behalf against Watford last Saturday. It came in the 60th minute, after an opening hour of play in which Bolton had bridged the chasm in abilities between the teams through strategy and sweat. Ronaldo had hit the post but Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba had gone closest to scoring when he sidefooted wide with a good three-quarters of the United goal unprotected. Rooney was yet to come on, having been named as a substitute, and even though Ronaldo and Berbatov were showing class it was only in scattered moments. Megson will never know whether his men would have held on but deserved the chance to find out. Styles’s whistle peeped and a week’s preparation was gusted away.

Ronaldo, collecting possession on the left, had charged into the area but pushed the ball too far when Jlloyd Samuel slid in and intercepted. It was a perfectly timed tackle from the full-back, which had the effect, when he made contact with the ball, of jamming it against Ronaldo’s ankle. The force sent Ronaldo airborne. Replays suggested he made sure his fall was dramatic, but not that he dived and nor did Ronaldo, once he hit the deck, make any appeal to the referee. Styles, well positioned, blew and, as Megson observed, everyone in the stadium except for one person was certain he was going to book Ronaldo for simulation, “which would have been wrong anyway,” Megson added. Instead Styles pointed to the spot. “He blew the whistle,” said Megson, “and then didn’t know what to do. It was a nonsense decision which changed the game.” Sir Alex Ferguson agreed. “I was surprised,” said United’s manager. “It looked to me like their player got a foot on the ball.”

Ronaldo, whom the Bolton boss exonerated from suspicions of diving, did not even appeal for a foul. Instead he climbed to his feet to send the spot kick to Jussi Jaaskelainen’s right and it was game over. Bolton looked broken.

Megson did not demand an apology from the referee or for Styles to be demoted – as Atwell was after last week’s farce. “What difference would that make?” he asked, instead calling for referees to be given technological help to prevent mistakes.

The Bolton manager also went on to pour scorn on the FA’s “Respect” campaign. “It just sticks in the throat that when last season finished and people talked about diving, feigning injury, goalline technology, what do we come up with? ‘Respect for the ref’. There will be more respect if he [Styles] holds up his hands and says he’s made a big mistake.”

Trailing 1-0, the last thing Bolton wanted was to see Rooney and Paul Scholes come on. Tevez was preferred as Berbatov’s partner but the Argentinian seldom got close enough to link with him and lacked Rooney’s creative insight in deeper positions. Rooney reacted to his demotion with he channelled indignation expected of a top player. When Patrice Evra won a header on the halfway line, Rooney helped the ball on to Ronaldo and then supported the counter-attack. His colleague found him with a backheel on the edge of the box and Rooney dummied past Kevin Nolan before bending a sumptuous shot past Jaaskelainen.

United were more consistent than at Anfield and Stamford Bridge but were still short of their best and need much more improvement if they are to make up ground lost through their slow start. Ferguson suggested that would come “when we understand how good Berbatov is”.

The Bulgarian’s languid manner divides opinion. Is he effortless or lacking effort? Despite never looking like he was trying that hard, the £30m striker produced some sublime touches yesterday. In the 90th minute a choice pass sent Scholes racing through but he failed to beat Jaaskelainen. Moments after that Berbatov beat the offside trap but failed to tame the ball when it dropped. Had he done so, he could have scored. It was the only time his touch let him down.