Bournemouth, March 21 – Manchester United is set to file a formal complaint with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), following what they believe were inconsistent decisions during their 2-2 draw against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League match played at the Vitality Stadium on Friday.
The match was overshadowed by multiple contentious calls, including two penalties being awarded and another appeal being dismissed, leaving the visitors frustrated with the officiating.
Defender Harry Maguire, who had recently been recalled to the England squad for friendly matches before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, had a difficult outing as he was sent off late in the game for pulling back Evanilson inside the penalty area. The decision led to a penalty, which Bournemouth converted to level the score.
However, United's frustration stemmed largely from an earlier incident when Amad Diallo appeared to be fouled inside the box, only for the referee and VAR to allow play to continue. The decision came despite a similar foul earlier in the match having resulted in a penalty for United, converted by captain Bruno Fernandes.
Interim manager Michael Carrick did not hold back in his assessment, calling the decisions "baffling" and questioning how two seemingly similar incidents were judged differently.
"My first thought is he definitely got one of them wrong, because he's given one penalty for the same thing that he's not given one as a two-armed grab," Carrick said as quoted by the BBC.
"So the Matheus Cunha one, he gives, the second one on Amad he doesn't, which is, I think, almost identical, really, two hands on someone in the box, and they go over, and they're in control of the ball.
"It's a massive moment and I don't understand how you can give one and not the other - it's crazy. It's as obvious as you can get.
"It's clear, if that's what he believes is a penalty to start with, then the second one has to be. I don't understand how you can't give that. And then the goal, and after that, it was chaos. It's astonishing,” he added.
According to the BBC report, United’s Director of Football Jason Wilcox is expected to take up the matter with referees’ chief Howard Webb to seek clarity on the decisions.
Meanwhile, Manchester lost a good opportunity to strengthen its third position in the Premier League points table. The former champions now have 55 points in 31 matches, and they are just four points ahead of Aston Villa, who have played one match less.