Bournemouth responds to Manchester United's complaint! Denies gaining points through referees, Maguire's push in the first half wasn't penalized either.

Last weekend's Manchester United 2-2 draw with Bournemouth drew attention due to controversial referee decisions, with Manchester United lodging a complaint with the Premier League referees' association, dissatisfied that Amad Diallo's push wasn't awarded a penalty. "We got one penalty, but should have had another," said manager Carrick. "The two situations were almost identical, both involved reaching out. Awarding one but not the other, I can't understand it, it's madness. Harry (Maguire)'s red card wasn't a major issue, as it was an opponent's scoring opportunity. But we should have had another penalty, and the course of the match could have been completely different."

After the match, Manchester United club formally complained to the PGMOL, the body overseeing Premier League referees, expressing anger over the refereeing in this game and believing there were inconsistencies in the decisions. The Red Devils also couldn't understand the added time, which heightened their sense of being wronged multiple times this season.

However, regarding Manchester United creating the impression that Bournemouth gained a point through controversial decisions, and even some suggesting referee Attwell wore Bournemouth's shirt, the home team also found it unacceptable. The "Cherries" reminded people that Manchester United overlooked another controversial decision in the first half, when a cross from Bournemouth's left flank saw Evanesen pushed away by Maguire while contesting the ball. Like Carrick, Iraola felt justified in believing that if that penalty had been awarded, the match's course would also have been different, when the score was still 0-0.

The four decisions made by Stuart Attwell were not overturned by VAR interventions, all maintaining the original calls. "The Athletic" pointed out that if consistent standards were applied, all four should have been penalties, two for each side. Thus, the final 2-2 draw seems like a fair outcome.

Understandably, clubs and fans selectively remember unfavorable decisions while overlooking favorable ones. Manchester United's official match highlights did not include the scene where Maguire pushed Evanesen in the first half; conversely, Bournemouth's highlights omitted the moment Amad was pushed.

Bournemouth manager Iraola said: "We can quickly see replays, but I don't think there was any bias. Evanesen with Maguire, and Cunha's penalty, both decisions were correct because defenders lost their positions. But Amad's situation wasn't, and Maguire's two-handed push on Evanesen in the first half, I also don't think was enough for a penalty. So, I feel there's no need to discuss excessively."

The conclusion might be simple: Manchester United's claim of inconsistent refereeing holds, but Bournemouth's stance is also valid—they didn't gain a point through referees, because the refereeing was inconsistent for both teams! Iraola said: "Personally, I believe the referee's four decisions were all correct, and moreover, the draw result is fair."

According to psychological experts' analysis, VAR did not overturn the non-penalty decision for Amad's push mainly because Bournemouth scored immediately afterward. If they had backtracked to the previous attack after Bournemouth's goal, home fans might have erupted.

The Premier League's official explanation was that it wasn't a "clear and obvious error." But this itself is an issue without standardized criteria—how to prove one foul is more severe than another, or one tackle more dangerous than another? Especially in the Premier League, where pushing, shoving, and pulling among players are commonplace, creating a gray area that occurs in almost every set-piece situation.

According to The Athletic, referees from Europe's top five leagues this summer will discuss ensuring VAR is used only for clear errors, not minor ones. The Premier League prides itself on having Europe's lowest VAR intervention rate.

Manchester United fans on social media claimed that since Stuart Attwell began refereeing in the Premier League, he has cost Manchester United over 34 points! This is certainly fictional; British media joked that netizens might investigate the hometown of the referee's mother's dog caretaker to prove the referee's bias. In reality, over the long term, the proportion of controversial decisions benefiting and harming a team tends to balance out. However, fans only remember the unfavorable half—United fans recall Mourinho's era where "no penalty unless someone dies," but never mention the numerous penalties under Solskjaer.