According to PGMO chief refereeing officer Howard Webb, the disparity in penalty decisions against Manchester United at Bournemouth stemmed from the varying speeds of the attacking players. Manchester United had taken the lead twice, courtesy of goals from Bruno Fernandes and an own goal by James Hill, but the hosts equalized through Ryan Christie and a late penalty by Eli Junior Kroupi. The match was marked by controversy, including a dismissed penalty appeal for United winger Amad Diallo and a straight red card for Harry Maguire, who conceded a penalty.
Webb noted that the key difference between the two incidents lay in the speed at which the attackers were moving, with Evanilson's pace being considerably faster than Amad's. This, Webb argued, made Maguire's foul a clearer case of a penalty.
The decision not to award a penalty for the foul on Amad was deemed a judgment call by the referee, with the VAR respecting the on-field decision. Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, expressed frustration at the inconsistency in the penalty decisions, describing it as 'crazy' and 'baffling.' Webb reiterated that the referee's call is crucial in the application of VAR and that the VAR should only intervene when an error is clearly and obviously wrong.