Manchester United complains to the Premier League about referees! League maintains suspense for fifth place? "Blind duo" twice obstructs, robbing 4 points

Manchester United officially lodged a complaint with the PGMOL on Saturday, expressing dissatisfaction with the controversial decisions in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. Particularly, the inconsistent handling of similar fouls by the on-field referee and VAR in the second half: Amad Diallo was fouled in Bournemouth's penalty area, but the officials took no action, allowing Bournemouth to counter-attack and equalize; later, Harry Maguire's pull in United's penalty area resulted in a "red card and penalty," enabling the hosts to equalize again.

It is worth noting that the match referee Stuart Attwell and VAR Craig Pawson are not the first time to "obstruct" Manchester United. In United's away game against Bournemouth this season, they also incorrectly canceled Lisandro Martinez's equalizing goal. Notably, the score of that match was also a 2-2 draw.

That incident occurred in the 27th minute of the match when United trailed 0-1. Lisandro Martinez scored from a corner, but the referee later disallowed the goal, citing his foul on Kyle Walker.

The Premier League's Key Match Incidents panel later determined that Martinez's goal against Bournemouth should not have been disallowed, concluding that referee Attwell and Pawson made an erroneous judgment.

In that match, Walker subsequently stamped on United's left-back Patrick Doku, and Attwell did not even award a yellow card. Regarding this decision, the Premier League also deemed it did not meet the criteria for VAR intervention.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Manchester United is extremely angry about VAR's repeated mistakes, especially baffled by why similar incidents in the same match were handled completely differently.

Manager Erik ten Hag's post-match questioning received support from club executives, who have now appealed to Premier League refereeing chief Howard Webb. United also raised concerns about the nine-minute stoppage time arrangement.

Since this season, Manchester United's discontent with referees has persisted. Other clubs have mentioned controversial decisions including Brentford defender Nathan Collins denying a goal-scoring opportunity without receiving a red card, and a missed penalty call against Wolverhampton.

Manchester United's complaint cannot alter any decisions; Maguire's red card is unlikely to be rescinded, and the match result is already fixed. However, the club aims to express its stance and seek fairer officiating in upcoming matches.

Although Liverpool and Chelsea both lost on Saturday, Manchester United not only maintained but extended its lead by one point in the race for fifth place. However, if Aston Villa, playing on Sunday, defeats West Ham United, they will trail United by only one point.

Thus, United fans believe the "blind duo" Attwell and Pawson have robbed the team of 4 points. With those points added, the team's Champions League qualification might have been secured. The Premier League assigning these error-prone referees to officiate United's match again is seen as a "task-driven" arrangement.

Among fans, Attwell, Michael Oliver, Anthony Taylor, and Chris Kavanagh are mocked as the "Premier League's Four Blind Referees," frequently causing controversy.

However, claiming Attwell specifically targets Manchester United may not be accurate. In the Manchester derby in mid-January 2023, he and VAR ruled that Marcus Rashford, who chased the ball for twenty meters, was not offside, allowing Bruno Fernandes' subsequent equalizer to stand, leading to United's 2-1 comeback win over Manchester City. Therefore, Attwell might merely act according to the "tasks" assigned from above.

Angry United supporters even suggested that owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe contact his legal team to sue the Premier League, demanding the disqualification of these two referees.