Kevin Nolan has claimed that even Manchester United's players were surprised at being awarded a penalty in their 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. The Bolton captain said that Cristiano Ronaldo, who had fallen after being tackled in the area by Jlloyd Samuel, had told the referee, Rob Styles, that he had not been tripped.

"Ronaldo was on the floor saying, 'I didn’t want a penalty!'," Nolan said. "I don’t think one of them put their hands up asking for a penalty. [Darren] Fletcher’s going, 'It’s not a penalty', [Carlos] Tevez is going, 'It’s not a penalty'. Twenty players who were in the box at the time knew it wasn’t a penalty. But the man who was in black had the final say. They couldn’t believe their luck. But you’re at United and unfortunately that happens.

"It does strike fear into you when you look at this magnificent stadium. Maybe that’s what’s happened to the referee. He said he thought Jlloyd took Ronaldo before the ball. It didn’t make sense to me at all."

Styles, who was demoted twice last season after awarding two erroneous penalties, has reportedly e-mailed his manager at the Professional Referees’ Association and asked for an apology to be passed on to Bolton.

However, Gary Megson said he would not welcome a call from Styles.

"I don't want him to ring me up," he said. "I would have more respect from him if he just holds his hands up and says he was wrong."

Meanwhile, Fletcher has said that United should not expect an easy ride against Aalborg tomorrow. Having opened their Champions League defence with a home draw against Villarreal, the Danish team lie in wait, with United needing three points.

"It is not going to be quite that easy to beat them," Fletcher said. "Aalborg might not be a household name but this is the Champions League. It is a top-quality competition and they are a quality side.

"It is important we get a win tomorrow. The longer you go without one the more worrying it gets. We need to kick-start our Champions League campaign."