Owen: We had no rhythm

Owen Hargreaves was less damning than Sir Alex of referee Mark Clattenburg's performance on Saturday, but the Reds' midfielder admitted the official made life difficult for United at the Reebok Stadium.

Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to watch the second half from the stands after confronting Clattenburg at the interval about Bolton's physical approach.

Hargreaves told MUTV he relishes a physical challenge, although described some of Bolton's tackles as "borderline".

"I don't mind physical but some of the challenges were definitely borderline and that's why there's a referee out there. It's his job to keep things under control but I thought he gave away a lot of free kicks for very basic challenges. It played into their hands and didn't allow us to play with any tempo in the first half.

"The pace of the game was slow and with the referee stopping the game almost every minute it was very difficult to create any rhythm."

Hargreaves was also quick to recognise United's own shortcomings.

"We seemed second to every ball in the first half and that made it very difficult for us. I think Bolton played well in the first half and deserved what they got. I thought we were second best, really.

"In the second half we quickened the temp and played much better. In the end, we couldn't get the breakthrough we needed. Champions only lose a few games – if that – a season. We're disappointed with the result but we're going to have to improve and we'll try and do that next time."