VAR intervened to overturn Bournemouth’s added-time penalty, leading to Manchester United narrowly avoiding defeat at Vitality Stadium with a 2-2 draw, largely attributed to Bruno Fernandes’ two goals.
Referee Tony Harrington initially awarded a penalty in stoppage time when Ryan Christie was fouled by Willy Kambwala, only to reverse his decision after VAR review, giving a free-kick instead.
Despite an uninspiring performance from Erik ten Hag’s side, they faced torment in Dorset and fell behind twice in the first half due to goals from Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke and Justin Kluivert.
Fernandes scored his first equalizer with a volley against the flow of the game, then prevented the impressive hosts from securing their first league double over the 20-time English champions by converting a penalty in the 65th minute, prompted by Adam Smith’s inexplicable handball.
United’s Portuguese captain also struck the crossbar with a remarkable long-range shot while trailing 2-1 in stoppage time at the end of an exhilarating first half.
However, despite Bournemouth’s exceptional performance, which included hitting the woodwork through Milos Kerkez and squandering numerous other opportunities, they should have been well ahead by then.
United now advance to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final against Coventry, currently positioned seventh in the table. European qualification for the next season remains uncertain following another lackluster performance, extending their winless streak to four top-flight games amidst an unconvincing season.
