Exclusive: Man United benefit from ‘unbelievable’ refereeing error vs Bournemouth
Bournemouth star Evanilson was on the receiving end of an “unbelievable” refereeing error during their 1-1 draw against Man United, Keith Hackett has stated.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that referee Peter Bankes looked “out of his depth”, as he questioned the current standard of officiating at the top level of English football.
With Bournemouth down to ten men following the questionable decision, United were able to assert their authority on the closing stages of the game.
Rasmus Hojlund rescued a point in the game with a 96th-minute equaliser, after Ruben Amorim’s side went 1-0 down to an Antoine Semenyo strike in the first half.
That result saw them move above Everton into 14th place, with their sights firmly set on their upcoming Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.
Evanilson sent off v Man United after refereeing controversy
At first glance, the foul appeared to be clear as Evanilson crashed into a heavy challenge.
The Bournemouth star was initially shown a yellow card by Bankes, before he was called to review his decision and eventually gave the 25-year-old his marching orders.
Replays of the incident showed that the forward had slipped into the challenge with no malice or brutality, but VAR opted to call for an on-field review.
It was a game-changing decision for Bournemouth in a match which was marred by plenty of refereeing controversy – adding to questions about the offcial’s performance.
Six yellow cards were shown in the game, alongside Evanilson’s red, while there were also calls for Tyler Adams and Casemiro to be sent off for earlier challenges.
Keith Hackett slams Peter Bankes after ‘unbelievable’ decision
This is not the first time Hackett has questioned Bankes’ decision-making, after he failed to send off West Ham’s Edson Alvarez against Aston Villa in January.
While the former FIFA official confessed the challenge was reckless and could have received a yellow card, he was left stunned by the referee’s call and insisted these controversies are “not good enough” for a Premier League game.
“What I am viewing is just unbelievable,” he told Football Insider.
“What is happening to the standard of out officiating? Peter Bankes looks out of his depth.
“Bournemouth’s Evanilson slipped whilst making a tackle, it was reckless, but there is no way that was a red-card offence.
“It’s a yellow card, the right leg in the air but it’s nowhere near the player.
“Can they not see the slip? There was no brutality or malice in the challenge.
“It doesn’t fit the criteria for serious foul play, at most it was reckless.
“Come on, this is not good enough for a Premier League game.”
Evanilson will now miss Bournemouth’s next three games during their battle for European qualification, with eighth place likely to be enough to secure Europa Conference League football.
The Cherries have now dropped one point behind both Brighton and Fulham into tenth place with four games left to play, and will be dealt a huge blow by their striker’s absence.
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