“What is the difference?”: United legend echoes Fernandes and Carrick’s rage at strange referee call

Manchester United shared the spoils on Friday night in the Premier League. Bournemouth result The Red Devils came away with a 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium against AFC Bournemouth. It was hardly a vintage display from Michael Carrick’s side, but they will be disappointed to have taken the lead twice, only to throw away two points. Fans and players were outraged by the decision not to award Amad a penalty, and then moments later Ryan Christie provided the Cherries with their first equaliser. The Reds were even more incensed later when Harry Maguire was penalised in the box for a similar-looking action to the Amad non-penalty, and to add insult to injury, he was also sent off. Both Michael Carrick and Bruno Fernandes spoke after the match and expressed their exasperation with the referee’s decision. Andy Cole Speaking on Sky Sports, former Manchester United striker Andy Cole was also left bemused by the fact United were not awarded a second penalty of the night. Whilst discussing the moment Ivorian Amad went down in the area, Cole said, “I was saying in in today’s game for me, it’s a penalty. Yeah. When we were playing, no chance. Absolutely no chance. It’s very physical in today’s game, you know, and we’re going to see the other penalty in a minute.” He added, “and where Harry Maguire gets sent off, you turn around and say to yourself, well, if I’m in that position, I’m not going down anyway. So, for me, that’s not a penalty, but it is what it is.” Referencing the penalty that was then awarded to Bournemouth in the closing stages of the match, he claimed, “very harsh. First and foremost, the interplay between the two boys up front. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Once he gets himself (Evanilson) in there, I’m saying to myself here, I’ve not got any time to go down because it’s a really good touch. He’s in on goal.” When asked to compare both situations, he explained, “it’s exactly the same thing. They have both gone down weakly. Yeah. The referees decided to give one and not the other. But you we’re asking the question, what is the difference?” United will have a long wait to respond as they are incredibly not scheduled to play again until Monday 13th April against Leeds United. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.