Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMO) chief refereeing officer Howard Webb has shed light on the penalty decisions that went against Manchester United during their match against Bournemouth, citing the difference in speed between the attackers as a key factor. The match, which ended in a 2-2 draw, saw Manchester United take the lead twice through goals from Bruno Fernandes and an own goal by James Hill, only for Bournemouth to equalize courtesy of Ryan Christie and a late penalty from Eli Junior Kroupi. Fernandes' goal came from a penalty spot after Alex Jimenez pulled Matheus Cunha, but a similar incident involving Amad Diallo and Adrien Truffert did not yield a penalty, with the referee and VAR deeming the contact insufficient.
Later, Harry Maguire was given a straight red card for pulling over Evanilson, resulting in a penalty that Kroupi scored. Webb explained that the speed of the attackers played a significant role in these decisions, with Evanilson's pace being considerably higher than Amad's, thus affecting the referees' judgment on the impact of the contact.
The incident has sparked debate, with Manchester United's head coach Michael Carrick expressing his frustration at the inconsistency in the penalty decisions, describing it as 'crazy' and 'baffling.'