Stoke City manager Mark Hughes was left frustrated after his side were denied two penalty decisions in their sides 1-1 home draw with Manchester United yesterday.

The home side took the lead inside two minutes after Ryan Shawcross turned the ball into the back of the net from a Peter Crouch flick-on.

And they should have been two goals up when Mame Diouf did well to out-muscle Jonny Evans only for the former United striker to blaze his effort over the bar.

That miss would prove costly as the visitors levelled midway through the second half when Radamel Falcao swept the ball home from a corner.

But Hughes was infuriated when appeals for a penalty were turned down by referee Michael Oliver after a Crouch header was seemingly handled by Chris Smalling in the penalty area.

Shortly after Crouch was denied a goal, his goal-bound header rebounded off David de Gea’s left hand post before Geoff Cameron was adjudged to have been impeded in the area, again for referee Oliver to ignore any protests.

“I think our chances were better, more clear cut and we’ve hit the post,” said Hughes after the game.

“But (we’ve had) two clear penalty claims from our point of view that should have been given, certainly the first one.

“I think Smalling’s lost Peter on the initial header and he’s just trying to get something in the way of his goal-bound-header and he’s made an intentional move with his arm to bat the ball down.

“The referee’s clearly standing four or five yards away so why he hasn’t given it I don’t know.

“And when we hit the post from Peter’s header it’s come back out and Geoff Cameron has been taken out. So from our point of view it’s two clear-cut penalties.”

“If you look at those two situations and other opportunities for ourselves, I think overall on chances created and momentum to one team’s play in comparison to the other we were the better team.”

The draw was the third in four games for Manchester United who have won just two of their last 11 away games in the top flight.

And manager Louis van Gaal felt that his side were lucky to come away with a point after a spirited Stoke performance. 

He said: “I think we have known before the game that it shall be a tough game because we had seen already in the home match that it is difficult to beat Stoke.

“I think they deserved the victory more but at the end the draw is good. I cannot say that we were the better team today and I have said that many times. But today I cannot say that.”