Ex-Premier League referee Keith Hackett has slammed match official Kevin Friend's performance in the Manchester United versus Bournemouth game as the poorest showing this season.
United played out a 1-1 draw against the Cherries, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic ruing a missed penalty in the 72nd minute that gave the visitors a valuable point.
Bournemouth's Andrew Surman was sent off just before half-time -- Friend cautioned the defender without realising he was already on a yellow card -- when he confronted Ibrahimovic for an apparent elbow on Tyrone Mings, after the defender caught him with a boot to the head. Along with the two ugly incidents, Friend awarded a pair of penalties to the home team.
Hackett went on to criticise Friend's performance and has also urged the authorities to take action on Ibrahimovic and Mings for their part in the violent acts.
"Friend was like a rabbit in the headlights at United on Saturday and it was the worst refereeing performance in the Premier League this season, or even for some time," Hackett said on behalf of You Are The Ref.
"I will be absolutely gobsmacked if Ibrahimovic and Mings are not charged retrospectively but you cannot possibly ignore how poorly Friend performed in that game.
"Ultimately, the referees are paid to get these big decisions right and to control the proceedings but he was almost sleeping, allowing things to go.
"When that happens, the authority and respect goes and the players decide to start looking after themselves. That's exactly what happened."