Former World Cup referee Clive Thomas has defended Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson's outburst against David Elleray.

Elleray awarded a disputed penalty to Liverpool and dismissed United defender Denis Irwin for an innocuous-looking incident - allowing Liverpool to snatch a 2-2 draw and dent Ferguson's Premiership challenge.

Later Ferguson claimed that Elleray's actions had "handed" the result to Liverpool and although Thomas refused to condone Ferguson's comments, he says he can identify with the frustration concerning inconsistency among referees.

"I can understand Alex's point of view - I don't agree with it because there is a time and place to make those comments - but to be fair to Alex, it wasn't a penalty," Thomas said. "A fourth official would have told David Elleray it wasn't a penalty and it would not have been awarded.

"Alex was quite justified in saying that the referee did not get it right. Where offences are being committed left, right and centre, you're not telling me that Irwin's second caution was a sending off.

"Referees haven't got it right but neither have managers and players. We have to sit down and have an arbiter and work for one aim - discipline on and off the field of play."

Thomas added that current match officials were digging their own graves with inconsistent decisions. And he believes that if Elleray had employed "common sense" there would have been no need for the controversy.

"I thought the penalty was not a penalty," Thomas said. "Elleray obviously thought it was but I think if we had had a fourth official and television, the penalty would not have been given.

"As far as the dismissal of Irwin was concerned, the decision was right by law, and you cannot argue with that. But there is one phrase that we are still not using within the refereeing fraternity and that is `common sense not prevailing'.

"If he was going by the letter of the law at Anfield, there would have been about five players sent off and 12 yellow cards.

"What I cannot understand is referees saying `I used the letter of the law there'. So why not use that throughout the 90 minutes?

"Irwin's second yellow card was a pathetic offence compared to other offences such as his first caution, which he should have been sent off for. The tackle on Steve McManaman was diabolical. He took the player right out with two feet. That was a dismissal but it is a yellow card now.

"Some referees are creating the problems for themselves."