Former referee gives his verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty appeal vs West Ham

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has agreed with Cristiano Ronaldo's appeal for a penalty in Manchester United's clash against West Ham United last weekend..

The Portuguese maestro came in behind the Hammers' defence before Kurt Zouma came dashing in to inside the box.

Referee Jon Moss looked disinterested, much to the agony of Ronaldo and United's bench.

And former FIFA-listed referee Hackett couldn't understand why Moss didn't point to the spot for that foul.

“I thought this was a penalty kick,'' began the 77-year-old, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, referees have got to be consistent with pulling and holding inside the penalty area.

“The defender has got his left arm under the left arm of Ronaldo, that’s not football it’s rugby.

“Ronaldo goes to the ground and the reason he is theatrical, and this is what is happening in the game, is because he won’t get a penalty unless he’s theatrical. He doesn’t succeed on this occasion.

“The referee’s turned a blind eye to the holding and pulling as most of them do.''

Manchester United's crucial win against West Ham sent them up to fourth in the Premier League table, nine points behind third placed Chelsea with the Red Devils having two games in hand over the Blues from London.