Bournemouth 1 Wolves 1 (5-4 pens): Cherries through after dramatic shootout following Cunha red and technology blunder

SAOT, VAR, FA Cup – FFS.

The story of this game should have been how Mateus Cunha scored a brilliant equaliser for Wolves before being sent off ahead of the penalty shootout.

But instead it was overshadowed by the farcical eight minute 11 second VAR delay in the first half after the new Semi-Automated Offside Technology failed.

The decision finally came that Milos Kerkez had been offside when he and Dean Huijsen between them forced home a David Brooks corner.

But both sets of fans sang “It’s not football anymore”, “This is embarrassing” and “F**k VAR”.

At that point, Bournemouth were 1-0 up through Evanilson.

Cunha cancelled that out with a fabulous 30-yard effort on the hour.

Bournemouth were the better side for the rest of the game and in extra time, when Wolves keeper Sam Johnstone made excellent saves from Antoine Semenyo, Luis Sinisterra and Lewis Cook.

Then in stoppage time, Cunha was sent off for a triple assault on Kerkez and had to be restrained on the touchline as tempers boiled over.

The shootout went to sudden death after Sam Johnstone saved from Dean Huijsen only for Matt Doherty to shoot wide when he had the chance to win it.

Then Boubacar Traore’s kick came off the bar and hit Cherries keeper Kepa before rolling to safety.

And that left Sinisterra to send Bournemouth into the last eight of the FA CUp for only the third time in their history.

What drama.

Yet nothing very much happened in the first half an hour.

But then Bournemouth had the ball in the net three times, yet led only 1-0 at half time.

The Cherries were the better side without forcing Johnstone into a save so it was little surprise that it took a mistake to break the deadlock.

Johnstone, Wolves’ cup ‘keeper, was caught out by the direct pass from Bournemouth centre back James Hill to Antoine Semenyo.

Johnstone was in no-man’s land about 15 yards from his goalline and although he was able to keep out the Ghana winger’s initial shot, he was powerless to stop Evanilson tucking in the follow-up.

Minutes later Johnstone’s blushes were saved by VAR. But not the FA’s, in farcical scenes that shamed the oldest knockout cup competition of them all.

Brooks’ corner went all the way to the back post where it was forced over the line by a combination of Huijsen and Kerkez, with the suggestion of one or both using their arms.

The fans, particularly those in the Bournemouth sections, quite rightly sang “It’s not football anymore”, “This is embarrassing”, and “F**k VAR” as the delay went on and on.

At one point Barrott led captains Nelson Semedo and Lewis Cook to the touchline for a conference with the managers, backroom staff and anyone else with an opinion to offer. The purpose was to explain that the new offside technology had failed and the VAR team were having to draw their own lines.

Finally Barrott turned on his microphone and announced that Kerkez had been ruled offside.

During the resulting seven minutes of stoppage-time, Bournemouth had another “goal” ruled out by VAR. 

But this time Brooks’ handball, after he hit Kerkez’s cross on to himself, was much more obvious and the decision came much more quickly.

The second half began in a tetchy atmosphere on and off the pitch.

Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes hit a dipping shot over the crossbar. At the other end, Semenyo had an effort blocked as Bournemouth failed to make the most of a good opening.

Then came Cunha’s magic moment.

A Wolves attack seemed to have broken down but the Brazilian collected the ball 30 yards out, looked up and hit a vicious shot that seemed to be helped up and over Kepa Arrizabalaga by a slight deflection.

The Cherries almost went back ahead immediately but Toti made an excellent clearance from a Marcus Tavernier cross.

VAR was called upon again when Huijsen brought down Cunha, but Barrott was not asked to consider upgrading the yellow card to red.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola sent on Dango Ouattara and Justin Kluivert in search of a winner.

Wolves counterpart Vitor Pereira made three changes of his own for the final 20 minutes or so.

The home side had a number of corners and after one of them, Johnstone had to push away a Kluivert header from close range.

Then the Wolves ‘keeper made a good low stop when Semenyo let fly from 20 yards.

In the third of five minutes of stoppage time, Semenyo sent another effort looping just wide.

Bournemouth were the better team in the first half of extra time, but the closest they came was a long-range effort by Tyler Adams that went just wide.

The Cherries piled on the pressure. Johnstone saved a Huijsen header and Toti blocked substitute Daniel Jebbison’s follow-up just in front of the goalline.

Another home sub, Luis Sinisterra, headed Cook’s cross goalwards only for Johnstone to produce the save of the match.

Then Cook himself somehow failed to beat the Wolves keeper with a header from six yards.

Before the final whistle, Cunha was ruled offfisde but delayed the restart. When Kerlkez confronted him, the Wolves man threw a punch, seemed  to kick out at the Bournemouth man on the ground and then put his head in his face.

Barrott sent Cunha off but the Brazilian had to be restrained as he rowed with Wolves back-up ‘keeper Sam Bentley.

And so to penalties.

The first  seventakers all scored, Ouattara with an instant  cheeky no run-up effort and then Tavernier beating Johnstone despite the keeper seeming to have stopped it.

Johnstone seemed to have redeemed himself and Wolves when he saved Huijsen’s tame kick.

But then Doherty missed, Cook scored, Traore was denied in bizarre fashion and Sinisterra sealed the win that Bournemouth deserved.