Andy Cole was left baffled after clashing with Jamie Redknapp over a controversial VAR incident during Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Friday night. The Red Devils had hoped to continue their strong run of form at the Vitality Stadium, but after taking the lead through a Bruno Fernandes penalty, tempers flared following two key interventions from Stockley Park.
An own goal from James Hill eventually earned United a point, extending their run under caretaker manager Michael Carrick to just one defeat in 10 matches. However, that came between a Ryan Christie goal - which followed an incident where Amad Diallo went down in the box before Bournemouth counterattacked - and a moment where Harry Maguire was sent off and conceded a penalty in what appeared to mirror the earlier decision United did not benefit from.
After the match, Sky Sports pundits debated both calls, with former Liverpool midfielder Redknapp offering an explanation for the differing decisions - but Cole was unconvinced.
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Cole & Redknapp Disagree over Penalty Calls in Bournemouth 2-2 Man Utd
jamie redknapp pundit
“I think it would have been really harsh," Redknapp said, while reviewing whether Bournemouth's initial equaliser should have counted after Amad was bundled over in the box at the other end of the pitch. "You can see [Adrien] Truffert is being aggressive with him. He does man-handle him a bit, but I just don’t think it’s enough to be a penalty."
While that explanation was perhaps enough, he has drawn criticism for trying to explain the differences between the two incidents, as he said about the Harry Maguire red card:
"What’s the difference? I think the difference is that he’s going towards goal, he’s denying a goalscoring opportunity, which means it’s obviously going to be a red card, and because of Harry’s momentum, he sticks out his arm. It’s extremely harsh, but I can see why he's given that.”
In reaction, Cole explained how, in today's game, both are penalties (see his analysis above). And when his fellow pundit tried to play a tricky game of spot the difference, the retired United forward replied: "They're the same!"
After a short break for interviews, the debates continued, until the entire panel started to second-guess themselves.
More to follow...