Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has insisted that referee Paul Tierney should have dismissed Harry Arter for his challenge on Joe Allen during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
Arter got some of the ball but followed through on his opponent, leaving the Welshman requiring treatment with 26 minutes on the clock at the Vitality Stadium.
Hughes is unsure why the Bournemouth midfielder was not given his marching orders, claiming that certain decisions - including the Cherries' second of the match - went against his side and potentially cost them all three points on their travels.
"There are moments in matches that are game-defining and can change the course of the game, and we had a couple of those go against us this afternoon," he told reporters.
"Firstly, their boy Harry Arter was incredibly lucky to stay on the field after clearly lunging in on Joe Allen in the first half. It was out of control, a little bit reckless and he certainly put his opponent totally at risk, so by the letter of the law he has to go.
"You can only compare and contrast and I feel that had that been one of my players then he would have been sent off, so that is frustrating. With regards to their second goal, you could clearly see that [Joshua] King was stood in an offside position when he made contact with the ball."
Stoke end the day sitting 13th in the Premier League table, two points off the top half with two games left to play.
Daniel Lewis
