Manchester United were furious after Amad was denied a penalty following Adrian Traffert’s challenge, while Harry Maguire was sent off and Bournemouth were awarded a spot-kick for a similar incident.
Bruno Fernandes was unhappy with Stuart Attwell’s decision (Image: Rob Newell/Getty Images)
Manager Bruno Fernandes pointed to VAR after being furious at the decision in Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Friday night. United twice surrendered the lead and finished the night with 10 men after a frenetic second half on the south coast.
The visitors took the lead at the penalty spot when Matheus Cunha was pulled back by Alex Jimenez. However, Fernandes was denied the chance to make it 2-0 with a further penalty as referee Stuart Attwell waved off an appeal after Amad went down in the penalty area under pressure from Adrian Traffert.
To make matters worse, Bournemouth quickly got ahead of their opponents and made it 1-1 with a goal from Ryan Christie. VAR checked Amad’s appeal and said the contact was “not sufficient to constitute a foul”.
United took the lead again through a James Hill own goal, but shortly afterwards Harry Maguire brought down Evanilsson and lost the scoring opportunity. Junior Crupi converted a penalty, leaving United furious as they battled for points.
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read more: Manchester United explain why VAR allowed Bournemouth’s controversial goal after Amad’s penalty decisionread more: Harry Maguire goes from hero to villain as Manchester United are held back by Bournemouth – 5 talking points
“It’s disappointing because we tried hard enough to get the three points,” Fernandes told Sky Sports after the match. “We had to finish the game with a lot of pain and trying not to concede a goal.We could have won 2-0 but then we conceded again, so I was frustrated with myself.
“They didn’t get a penalty, but they give a penalty in the same situation as Amad. One is one, the other is not. I know it’s difficult for the referee to award two penalties to the same team in one game, but I don’t understand why VAR isn’t involved in that situation or for Harry (Maguire) because one is a penalty and the other is a penalty, or neither is a penalty.”
“Amad is getting close to trying to take a shot, but he’s being pushed. You can see that something is completely off-balance for him. It’s frustrating for the smaller players because they always say that the smaller players are soft, and with the bigger players they end up giving away fouls.”
Harry Maguire was sent off for refusing a scoring opportunity (Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
“I think in other situations it’s a penalty, but I also think in Amad’s case it’s a penalty and it could change the game.”
United manager Michael Carrick was uncharacteristically furious in his post-match interview, adding: “We should have given another penalty. Obviously, if you get one, you gotta get another.”
“For me it’s pretty much the same. It’s a two-handed grab. Either way, he’s got one thing wrong, but to give one and not the other doesn’t make sense to me. I think it’s crazy. It’s really a little baffling.”
Michael Carrick was angry at officials (Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
However, the opinions of critics were divided. Jamie Redknapp said of Amado’s appeal on Sky Sports: “I think it was a really tough one. I think you can see Truffert being aggressive towards him. He’s a bit difficult to handle. I don’t think it’s enough to warrant a penalty.”
Former United striker Andy Cole said: “When you’re talking about going down easily, he (Evanilsson) went down there easily.
“As a manager, of course you are disappointed, and Bruno is disappointed as well. If you analyze it, what’s the difference? The sending off makes sense, but when you’re talking about the penalty itself, why is one given and one not?”
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