Michael Carrick was furious that Manchester United were not awarded a second penalty just before Bournemouth opened the scoring on Friday night. The two teams played out an exciting 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium, with plenty of discussion to be had. United took the lead with a penalty when Bruno Fernandes fired into the bottom corner after Matheus Cunha was brought down in the area.
The visitors’ protests were waved off when Amado was forced to the ground moments later, and it was unfortunate that a further penalty was not awarded. Bournemouth went straight up at the other end and Ryan Christie scored the equalizer with a shot from the edge of the box. VAR reviewed the decision not to award United a second penalty, but it was determined that the contact was insufficient.
Asked for his thoughts after the final whistle, Carrick made no attempt to hide his true feelings and his frustration was clear for all to see.
“A lot happened at the end,” he told Sky Sports. “I thought we had a good chance, a good chance. We had enough to stay ahead. We got a little bit more comfortable in the game.
“He should have given another penalty because he found the goal. If he got one, he should have got another. “In any case, he[referee Stuart Attwell]got one thing wrong.
“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, I just can’t get my head around it. I think it’s crazy. It’s really a little baffling.”
“That’s why they scored the goal and then it was chaos, really. They should have given another penalty and the game would have been completely different.”
United eventually regained the lead through a James Hill own goal, but were gutted by the final and most important development in the story.
Harry Maguire was shown a straight red card for dragging Evanison to the ground inside the area. Eli Junior Crupi made no mistake from 12 yards out to score for Bournemouth, and they shared the spoils at the final whistle.
It was a disappointing result for United, but Carrick was quick to give his opinion, adding: “We’re in a good place. We’re in this position through good work, good results and good performances.”
“We could have done more tonight, but this is not the end. I think we made some improvements. There are things we can improve on and we can be better.”
As a result, United missed the chance to move within four points of second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League. However, they still have a big chance of staying in third place and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
