Bournemouth veteran says Simon Hooper refuses to explain after Bruno Fernandes scores from free-kick after full-back receives penalty for handball outside the area
Almost forgotten in the aftermath of a breathless carnival of goals and mistakes was a refereeing call that could go down as one of the worst of the season. According to Bournemouth players, that’s certainly the case.
It was a tough game for Simon Hooper on Monday night at Old Trafford. It was fast, frenetic, and had the usual quota of players as impostors.
If Hooper got the odd thing wrong, it’s understandable. And while Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo could have been dismissed for grabbing Diogo Dalot, the Manchester United man’s first attack – a dangerous, sneaky shove at a player in the air that could have caused serious injury – made Hooper’s leniency all the more understandable.
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What I didn’t understand, however, was Hooper’s judgment that Adam Smith had responded at close range when the ball hit the obviously weak Bournemouth captain’s bicep, in fact his shoulder. He was less than a yard away.
This was a puzzling decision. Hooper didn’t think he needed to explain anything to Smith, but a Cherries representative said the United players saw it as a gift. Bournemouth took a dramatic 3-2 lead early in the second half and appeared to have calmed down United.
But a handball decision from Hopper, combined with a wonderful free-kick from Fernandes, saw the game erupt again, with Matheus Cunha putting United ahead and Eli Junior Crupi leveling the score. But after such a tumultuous night, it was Hooper’s harshness that stuck with Smith.
“We conceded a careless goal just before halftime, which pissed us off, but it showed. Right in the second half, we scored (twice) right away.”
“And to my surprise, to my surprise, the referee didn’t make a very good call because it hit me in the shoulder from a yard out. So what am I supposed to do with my arm? I don’t know.
“He didn’t even try to talk to me, which made it even more disappointing. Even the Manchester United players said it wasn’t a handball!”
“As a defender, I don’t know what to do anymore. One yard. Not even one yard, actually. Right next to me! It hit here (on the sleeve). Did you think this wasn’t a handball anymore?”
“He wouldn’t even talk to me. He said, ‘I don’t want to talk right now.’ And he booked me after the goal. It’s really frustrating, really frustrating.”
And while United’s attacking performance in the eight-goal draw drew plenty of plaudits, Smith, who has been at Bournemouth for more than a decade, believes Andoni Iraola’s side should have taken all three points. Smith continued: “We should have won. Honestly, I was disappointed that we didn’t win.
“The way United play is really difficult to play against. On the other hand, on the counter you can really, really punish them.”
Iraola’s side are now winless in seven games in the Premier League, losing four of them. But Smith feels this record also inaccurately reflects their form.
“It’s been the little things that have been against us so far. We won against United, but that decision is against me and the team. Small things like that can change the game. Sometimes we need a bit of luck, but I’m sure if we keep playing like this we can move up the table.”
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