Bournemouth 2-2 Man Utd: Were the penalty decisions correct?

Manchester United missed a huge opportunity to close the gap on the Premier League top four after Tottenham were battered at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon.

The momentum gained from Erik ten Hag's woefully flawed entertainers' 2-2 draw with Liverpool last weekend was sapped on the south coast as they were twice forced to come from behind to earn a point. They're now ten points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth with just six games remaining, with less desirable European football set to be in the offing for next season.

Simply put, Ten Hag's side do not deserve a spot among the continent's elite and many will argue that they were fortunate to escape with a point at the Vitality Stadium.

There were two moments of contention which fell United's way as they earned a second-half penalty before Bournemouth had a late spot-kick of their own overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR).

But did the officials get these decisions correct? Let's take a look.

United were playing catch-up in the second half after Justin Kluivert had restored Bournemouth's lead before the break and were handed a gift just after the hour when Adam Smith was penalised for handball.

Kobbie Mainoo's effort was blocked by Ryan Christie, with Smith handling the ricochet. Referee Tony Harrington was quick to point to the spot and the decision was upheld by VAR.

Many were left aghast by the decision, but Smith made a slight movement towards the ball which prevented it from reaching Marcus Rashford inside the area. Smith's resigned look after the incident says it all, with Sky Sports pundits Izzy Christiansen and Jamie Redknapp agreeing that the right decision was made.

«I've seen a lot worse given,» Redknapp commented. Nevertheless, it's harsh on Smith and