Penalty drama and Cristiano Ronaldo moment shows Manchester United still have a decision to make

Cristiano Ronaldo had an awful time against Middlesbrough. His link-up play was non-existent as he missed multiple opportunities to pass to his teammates, and he seemed to have left his shooting boots at home.

The forward couldn't even complain about the service provided to him as Manchester United created chance after chance. Still, aside from Jadon Sancho, no one could muster a shot that wasn't either off-target or straight at the keeper.

But when Paul Pogba was brought down in the box and United were awarded a penalty, you knew exactly who would step up to take it, so Ronaldo did.

Everyone in the stadium waited, ready to join in his famous 'siu' celebration, when he inevitably slotted it home from the penalty spot and put United 1-0 up in this critical FA Cup fixture.

And then he missed.

It was a genuinely terrible penalty that didn't hit the target as Ronaldo dragged it wide. The Portuguese forward looked at the penalty spot to blame the surface, but playing at Old Trafford, that excuse doesn't go far.

United squandered several chances as the team could have easily been four or five goals to nil before the whistle went for halftime, but the missed penalty set the tone that this wasn't going to be United's night in front of the net.

However, it was a miss at Old Trafford that initially guaranteed Ronaldo's place as the designated penalty taker when Bruno Fernandes skied his chance against Aston Villa to resign his team to defeat in the Premier League.

When it came round to the penalty shoot out later in the game, Ronaldo did not make the same mistake again, powerfully striking it home, but now he has missed one, is the debate back open, or could another player step up to take the mantle.

Fernandes penalty record