Manchester United are preparing to lodge an official complaint with Professional Game Match Officials Limited after a series of controversial decisions in their 2-2 draw against AFC Bournemouth on Friday night.
Manchester United are preparing to lodge an official complaint with Professional Game Match Officials Limited after a series of controversial decisions in their 2-2 draw against AFC Bournemouth on Friday night.
The match at Vitality Stadium saw two penalties awarded and another strong appeal waved away, leaving United angered by what they view as inconsistent officiating.
The visitors believed they should have been given a second spot-kick when Amad Diallo appeared to be held by Adrien Truffert inside the area. This came after Bruno Fernandes had already converted an earlier penalty to put United ahead.
However, the referee chose not to award the second claim, despite similarities between the two incidents, which became a central point of frustration for the away side.
Harry Maguire endured a difficult evening despite recently earning a recall to the England national team squad.
With United leading 2-1 late in the match, Maguire was sent off for pulling back Evanilson inside the box. The decision led to a penalty, which Junior Kroupi converted to level the score for Bournemouth.
The sending-off and subsequent goal capped a dramatic finish in which the hosts came from behind twice to secure a draw.
Interim manager Michael Carrick criticised the referee’s decisions, describing them as difficult to understand. He pointed out that one penalty was awarded for a holding offence, while another nearly identical situation was ignored.
Carrick highlighted the lack of consistency, stating that if one incident met the threshold for a foul, the other should have been treated the same way. He also described the sequence of events following the decisions as chaotic.
Club captain Fernandes echoed those concerns, arguing that Bournemouth’s late penalty mirrored the earlier incident involving Diallo. He also questioned why VAR did not intervene in the situation.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth may point to an earlier moment in the first half when Maguire avoided punishment for what they felt was a push on Evanilson in the area.
United’s director of football Jason Wilcox is expected to contact refereeing chief Howard Webb to seek clarification and formally express the club’s dissatisfaction.
