Manchester United fans were livid after Antoine Semenyo was allowed to stay on the field in Tuesday's (AEDT) wild 4-4 Premier League draw with Bournemouth.
Bournemouth striker Semenyo copped a yellow card from referee Simon Hooper after putting his hands on the throat of United defender Diogo Dalot, late in the first half at Old Trafford (watch the video in the player above).
United fans immediately cried foul and pointed to a very similar incident involving midfielder Casemiro in 2023.
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In the incident that fans were furiously recirculating online, United's Brazilian star was sent off for grabbing the throat of Crystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes.
"The Premier League is against Manchester United, how's this not a clear red to Semenyo? Pathetic and embarrassing from the Premier League," @UTDKara wrote on X.
@FreddyQuinne was equally flummoxed.
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"Remember when Casemiro got a red card for literally exactly what Semenyo just did there."
But Dalot was also handed a yellow card for his role in the altercation and United legend Gary Neville supported Hooper's call.
"It looked like he's (Semenyo) giving him (Dalot) a clip in the face, but maybe it's lower. It's certainly a massive risk," Neville said.
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"I can see why Semenyo's snapped. Dalot bumped him while he's in the air – it's a bit naughty. He's (Semenyo) gone for his (Dalot) neck but he just pulled back. Two yellow cards is the right decision."
Bournemouth scored a dramatic late goal to snatch the draw after United let multiple leads slip.
Things started positively for the Red Devils with Amad Diallo opening the scoring in the 13th minute when he headed in a free kick.
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But Bournemouth equalised through Semenyo's seventh goal of the season following a nicely timed pass from Adam Smith.
Casemiro grabbed the lead back for United before the visitors played some inspired football in the second half.
Evanilson scored 30 seconds after the break and then a neatly placed free kick just outside the box from Marcus Tavernier found the left hand corner to give the away team the lead for the first time.
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The drama continued as United captain Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha struck in the 77th and 79th minutes respectively to give the hosts a 4-3 lead.
There was to be one final twist, however, as Eli Junior Kroupi scored an 84th minute equaliser for the Cherries.
Kroupi, a 19-year-old substitute, silenced United's fans when Alejandro Jimenez found him on the edge of the box.
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United goalkeeper Senne Lammens then made an instinctive save with his right foot to stop a diving header from David Brooks in the sixth minute of added time to preserve the draw.
Each side had nine shots on target in a game that will go down as a classic, with end-to-end action.
As the final whistle blew after 100 exhausting minutes, it was hard to say whether either team left feeling satisfied.
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"I suppose for the neutrals it's been a nice game," Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola said.
"It had everything. Moments where you think it's a loss. Moments where you think we have this one, we are comfortable.
"You didn't even know if we were happy finishing the game or give us one minute more."
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United, who had 17 shots in the first half, rued the chances they did not put away in a key game before Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo leave for the Africa Cup of Nations.
"It's really disappointing," United boss Ruben Amorim told the BBC.
"We are really disappointed. Crazy game. It might look like we lost the two points in the second half but I think we lost them in the first half.
"We dominated and created so many chances. We had to go to halftime with a different result. In the end we deserved more."
– with Reuters and Sacha Mirzabegian
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