Breaking News: Man Utd prepare formal complaint to PGMOL over ‘baffling’ Bournemouth call
Manchester United were forced to settle for a 2–2 draw on the road against AFC Bournemouth in a game filled with drama and contentious decisions. The visitors twice edged in front, first through a penalty calmly converted by Bruno Fernandes, and later thanks to an own goal from James Hill. However, Bournemouth refused to back down, equalising through Ryan Christie before Junior Kroupi slotted home from the spot to level the contest again.
The match took a controversial turn in the build-up to Bournemouth’s first goal when Amad Diallo appeared to be dragged down inside the penalty area by Adrien Truffert. Despite strong appeals, referee Stuart Attwell waved play on, and VAR backed his decision, later stating the contact did not meet the threshold for a foul. Not long after, United found themselves on the receiving end of a penalty when Harry Maguire brought down Evanilson, an incident that also resulted in the defender being sent off. The contrasting outcomes of the two situations sparked frustration, with many pointing out how similar they appeared.
After the game, interim manager Michael Carrick did not hide his disbelief, criticising what he saw as inconsistent officiating and describing the decisions as baffling. Behind the scenes, the club are reportedly preparing to take their concerns further by engaging with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited and its chief Howard Webb. Their complaint is expected to centre on the penalty call involving Diallo, the contrasting decision against Maguire, and even the extended stoppage time, which stretched to nine minutes.
While any formal complaint will not alter the final scoreline, it could lead to a deeper review of how such decisions are made and interpreted. Situations like this are not common, but clubs occasionally take this route when they believe key moments in a match were mishandled, especially when VAR fails to resolve the controversy.
