Wolves rage at referee East in game of three penalties

Referee Roger East was at the centre of controversy after a feisty match of three penalties and 10 bookings.

Bournemouth took a 14th-minute lead from Joshua King’s spot-kick, which they held until Raul Jimenez converted the penalty he had won seven minutes from time.

The home side were awarded another penalty just 90 seconds later, but this time King struck a post.

Wolves can feel aggrieved about both the decisions that went against them. The first, given when Joao Moutinho was judged to have tripped King, looked marginal. There was no arguing with the second decision, a clear foul by Bournemouth’s Adam Smith on Matt Doherty deep into the second half.

But the third will not be one that East will relish looking at again. Ivan Cavaleiro’s trip on Ryan Fraser was clearly outside the box and Nuno Espirito Santo, the Wolves manager, was incensed on the touchline.

“My initial reaction to the first one was that it was a penalty,” said Eddie Howe, the Bournemouth manager. “You’re always slightly biased, but I thought theirs was harsh on us. The player got his shot away and you don’t see players penalised for the followthrough in that scenario very often.

“The third one, there is a debate over whether it is inside the box. I haven’t seen it again. We should score and win, Joshua has been a reliable taker for us, but it wasn’t to be.”

It was a breathless afternoon which for so long King looked to have settled with his fourth goal in five games. But, having been the better side for long spells, Wolves certainly deserved the point they got.

The visiting players were furious after East’s first decision and then more so six minutes later, when Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham attempted to control a high ball with his chest but succeeded only in scooping the ball behind with his arm. East was unmoved and booked Diogo Jota for his protest as the visiting fans sang “1-0 to the referee”.

“It is a very difficult task for referees. I don’t want to talk about VAR, as long as the officials are fair nobody can complain,” said Nuno. “You cannot judge anything from the reaction of players to incidents.”

Wolves can expect a fine for picking up six bookings. For Bournemouth, Jefferson Lerma received his 10th caution and misses the matches against Arsenal and Manchester City.