For the second weekend running, Ronaldo was cautioned for hitting the ground, this time under Ledley King's challenge.

It did not matter too much as Manchester United went on to win the trophy on penalties, with Ronaldo erasing the memory of his miss in Moscow by blasting home one of the Red Devils' four successful efforts.

But it seems officials are now taking a hard-line approach with the world player of the year when he goes down in the box.

TV replays showed King made contact with the 24-year-old, although even Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he was not certain whether it should have been a spot-kick or not.

However, the yellow card was harsh, even if Ronaldo refused to be too annoyed with Foy.

"If you see the replay you will see that their player kicked me in the foot," said Ronaldo.

"The referee did not make the right decision then and he didn't give me a lot, all match, I don't know why.

"But in every game, the referees decision has to be respected."

Ronaldo had no hesitation in taking a penalty - United's third - even though missed against Chelsea in the Luzhniki Stadium.

And after a brief game of bluff with Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes, the Portugal superstar came out on top.

"It's always important to choose a side and put the ball there," he said.

"After Moscow I thought the goalkeeper would think I put it in the same corner but I changed."

The triumph allowed the Old Trafford outfit to pick up their second piece of silverware, having been crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions in December.

In a seemingly unassailable position at the top of the Premier League, talk outside Ferguson's squad is starting to turn to an unprecedented quintuple.

Yet even as confident a character as Ronaldo accepts the mission is fraught with difficulty.

"It is quite hard," he said.

"We have to think game to game. We won this cup now, we are top of the league and still in the Champions League and FA Cup.

"With United there is always an opportunity to win everything but we need to keep our feet on the ground."