At a glance
- Manchester United left ‘furious’ at VAR decision
- Red Devils set to lodge complaint to PGMO
- Double standards on Harry Maguire sending off
Following a chaotic 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, Manchester United are set to make a formal complaint to PGMO.
According to Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail, the complaint will be lodged with PGMO’s chief, who is ex-referee Howard Webb. Club officials are reportedly ‘furious’ at the bizarre sequences of decisions at the Vitality Stadium.
‘Crazy’ decision by referee Atwell and VAR
Amad Diallo was pegged back in the penalty box by Adrien Truffert when United were leading 1-0. The ball was not being played, but referee Stuart Atwell waved play on. Bournemouth scored 25 seconds later through Ryan Christie. A VAR review refused to change the on-pitch decision by Atwell.
To add insult to injury, Harry Maguire’s sending off was as a result of a replica foul like Truffert’s. Maguire is set to miss the game on 13 April when the Premier League resumes after the international break. It feels like a sour note to take a break on for fans, player and officials of the club.
On Sky Sports, United legend Andy Cole was asked about VAR’s decision to abstain from getting too involved in the on-pitch decision. To which Cole sarcastically remarked: “[It was] mostly because they (VAR) didn’t want to make that call!”
Red Devils boss Michael Carrick had his say on the matter after the game. He said: “To give one and not give the other, I just can’t get my head around it. It’s crazy. Because of that they go down the other end, they score and then it’s chaos after that, really.”
Repeated patterns haunt United
There have been a number of controversial decisions made against United this season alone. One of the most notable ones was against Brentford, where Nathan Collins pulled back Bryan Mbeumo in the penalty box. It was a clear red card that only resulted in a caution, to which Howard Webb later admitted.
A similar situation against West Ham saw former red Aaron Wan-Bissaka get away with a clear foul whilst on a yellow card. Additionally, in January, Burnley’s Kyle Walker deliberately stamped on the back of Patrick Dorgu’s leg. There was no attempt to play the ball, but VAR made no intervention.
There was perhaps a moment of reluctance from the referee to give the away side two penalties in one game. Earlier, Matheus Cunha was brought down in the penalty box. Bruno Fernandes tucked it away coolly to give United the lead.
Just as the first league fixture between the sides proved, United let slip more leads to end up drawing the game. Once again, it feels like dropped points that could have been avoided. In hindsight, United could have been 2-0 up by the 67th minute if the penalty on Amad had been given.
An accumulation of 4 points dropped against Bournemouth could prove to be vital, given the congested nature of the league table this season. Not much separates United from Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea for a ‘top four’ finish.
England are still set to receive 5 spots in the Champions League for 2026/27, which looks good for the Red Devil’s prospects.
