Manchester United were left bemused by Stuart Atwell’s decisions in Friday’s draw at Bournemouth as Amad was denied a penalty and Harry Maguire was sent off
11:16, 23 Mar 2026Updated 11:53, 23 Mar 2026
Amad thought he won a penalty for Manchester United against Bournemouth(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has claimed that Manchester United should have been awarded a penalty moments before Bournemouth’s first goal in Friday night’s 2-2 draw.
Amad was hauled to the ground in the penalty area by Adrien Truffert with United leading 1-0 after Bruno Fernandes’ opener from the spot. Referee Stuart Attwell waved away protests before Ryan Christie levelled.
An own goal from James Hill restored United’s lead before the Cherries were then awarded a penalty after Evanilson was brought down by Harry Maguire, resulting in the defender being sent off.
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The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruled that “the contact was not sufficient for a foul”, something that Michael Carrick disagreed with. The Manchester Evening News understands United officials were “furious” at the decision and are set to make a formal complaint to PGMOL.
Now, in Sky Sports’ latest Ref Watch show, Gallagher had his say on the incident and insisted that United should have been given a second penalty. “I think they are both penalties, if you look at them, they are so similar, so on balance, give both,” he said.
Amad and Manchester United wanted a penalty just seconds before Bournemouth equalised(Image: Sky Sports)
“It is just an unfortunate consequence – the referee [Stuart Attwell] has got the most perfect position, he is looking straight at it and in fairness he waved it away straight away, the ball goes up the other end and the VAR is still looking at it when the ball goes in the net.
“Stuart has obviously fed back to them that it is not enough of a shrug and is not a clear and obvious error, there is not enough in it and they have backed the referee.”
Gallagher added when referring to Maguire’s red card: “This one is slightly different. When you see them together, you say either both are penalties or only one of them is a penalty.
“Whichever way the referee jumps, you expect him to jump the same way twice. He may well think he made a mistake with the first one, and look and think this one is a penalty.”
Harry Maguire reacts after being sent off during Manchester United’s draw with Bournemouth(Image: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Jay Bothroyd, who joins Gallagher on the show, agreed with the ex-referee’s view on the penalty claim. He said: “The referee is in a great position to see it, the defender is in the wrong position, he has shoved him and he has not exaggerated it, he is just off balance and I can’t understand why the referee has not seen that.
“I think if the Maguire one had happened first, the second one is given, but it has happened the other way round, but it is definitely a penalty.”
He added: “I would like to hear the referee come out and say something about that. No one likes to see mistakes but it will be a little bit better if the referee comes out and speaks. There’s less contact with the Amad one but Evanilson’s first touch made him get in that position. Both are penalties.”
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