Little wonder Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was frustrated by Howard Webb's decision to disallow the Cristiano Ronaldo goal which came from Wayne Rooney's corner kick stunt with Ryan Giggs at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Scot first saw Celtic try it 42 years ago and is still waiting for a side of his own to find the net from such a move.

It was in the 1967 European Cup quarter-final between Celtic and Dukla Prague that Ferguson first saw the trick, in which one player walks to the corner flag, discreetly touches the ball into play, freeing another to run in towards goal with it unhindered and cross or shoot.

Bobby Lennox and Jimmy Johnstone were unsuccessful that night, though, and so were Ferguson's Aberdeen side when they tried it several times.

Ferguson rejected a suggestion that the idea surfaced as a result of a Sunday newspaper featuring it in a 'You are the Ref' column two weeks back.

"I always hoped to use it," he said

"And then, would you believe it, it got chalked off. All you can do from free-kicks is hit the target, get the ball in the box and make the goalkeeper work. What it does is cause confusion."