Manager Gary Neville has given an instant verdict on why VAR officials made the “correct decision” not to show Antoine Semenyo a red card during Manchester United’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth. The Red Devils host the Cherries at Old Trafford, extending their unbeaten run to four games despite dropping another point at home.
United took an early lead against the south coast side through Amad Diallo’s close-range header before Semenyo equalized for the visitors. Moments after the Ghana international found the back of the net against Bournemouth, the Semenyo incident sparked debate over a potential red card. Diogo Dalot and Semenyo competed for an aerial ball which resulted in the Bournemouth forward hitting the turf.
Semenyo then appeared to confront Dalot and use his hand to touch the United full-back’s neck, and a large scuffle broke out before referee Simon Hooper intervened to calm the situation down.
Hooper handed yellow cards to both Dalot and Semenyo, with Neville explaining why the Bournemouth player had taken a “huge risk” with his actions.
“It looked like he (Semenyo) was clipping his (Dalot) face, but maybe it’s lower. It’s certainly a big risk,” Neville said on Sky Sports commentary.
“I understand why Semenyo got mad. Dalot hit him in the air. It was a bit of a prank. He (Semenyo) went for (Dalot)’s neck but he just backed away. The two yellow cards were the right decision.”
United succeeded in regaining the lead in stoppage time of the first half, with Casemiro scoring a header from a corner kick. However, Bournemouth’s Evanlison equalized early in the second half and Marcus Tavernier put the visitors ahead with a free-kick.
However, the goals continued during a frenetic second half, but United thought they had done enough to swing the tide back in their favor after some smart substitutions.
Bruno Fernandes took his own free-kick and Matheus Cunha set up Benjamin Sesco to give the home side a 4-3 lead, but Eli Junior Crupi’s eighth and winning goal in the closing stages brought them back to level.
