According to PGMO chief refereeing officer Howard Webb, the penalty decisions that went against Manchester United at Bournemouth hinged on the speed at which the attackers were moving. United had taken the lead twice, courtesy of Bruno Fernandes and an own goal by James Hill, but the hosts equalized through Ryan Christie and a late penalty from Eli Junior Kroupi. The pivotal moments came when United's Amad Diallo had a penalty appeal dismissed, while Harry Maguire was shown a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, resulting in a penalty that Kroupi scored.
Webb explained that the difference in the speed of the attackers was crucial, with Evanilson moving at a much faster pace than Amad when he was fouled by Maguire. The on-field decision was respected by the VAR, and Webb believes that if the referee hadn't given a penalty in the Maguire incident, the VAR would have intervened. United's head coach, Michael Carrick, and Fernandes were left frustrated by the inconsistency in the penalty decisions, with Carrick describing it as 'crazy' and 'baffling' that both incidents weren't treated the same way.