Manchester United was quite fortunate to secure a point at Vitality Stadium despite being twice behind against Bournemouth. Bruno Fernandes, with a brace, salvaged the draw for the “Red Devils” in a match where they were outplayed but fortunate not to suffer a greater defeat.

Another crucial strоke of luck for MU was the favorable decisions made by the referee. MU’s equalizer, making it 2-2, came from a penalty awarded by referee Tony Harrington. Kobbie Mainoo took a long-range shot that Һit Doug Christie and then deflected onto the hand of Adam Smith, who was standing inside Bournemouth’s penalty area.

This incident sparked discontent not only among Bournemouth players and fans but also among many spectators. The ball, after hitting Christie, quickly flew towards Smith, and the defender couldn’t react in time, yet a penalty was still awarded. The VAR team confirmed Harrington’s decision, stating that Smith had deliberately moved his hand towards the ball as it approached.

Even if the referee followed the rules correctly, this is another example of the excessive complexity and strictness of the handball rules. In the same match, the referee did not award Bournemouth a penalty when their player’s shot Һit a Manchester United defender, causing the ball to change direction and Һit Harry Maguire’s hand inside MU’s 16.5-meter box.

Bournemouth players and fans were quite upset with the penalty decision, but their frustration stemmed from the equalizing goal, which they believed involved a foul by Kambwala on Christie in the middle of the field before the ball was played to Fernandes for the equalizer.

The VAR team intervened to “exonerate” MU from conceding a penalty.

As the second half progressed, referee Harrington faced intense backlash for unfavorable decisions against Bournemouth, including a long-range shot from the home team that deflected off Marcus Rashford’s hip and went out of bounds, but the referee did not award a corner kιck to Bournemouth. Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto received a yellow card for reacting to the referee, claiming that Enes Unal had been fouled by Maguire in the middle of the field.

In the 90+5th minute, Harrington finally made a decision in favor of Bournemouth, pointing to the penalty spot, deeming that Kambwala had fouled Christie inside the penalty area. However, the VAR team intervened and determined that the foul had occurred just outside the 16.5-meter box, by a few millimeters. MU escaped the penalty and survived the subsequent direct free-kιck to secure a 2-2 draw.