Eddie Howe has hit out at referee Jonathan Moss for denying Bournemouth a penalty in their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Sunday.
Just after the half-hour mark of the Premier League encounter at the Vitality Stadium, Adam Smith went down in the Saints box under pressure from Sofiane Boufal.
Instead of awarding a spot kick to the Cherries, Moss instead booked Smith for simulation as the two sides went on to score a goal apiece in the encounter.
"It was a clear penalty. I felt it at the time," Howe told BBC Sport. "I could not believe what the referee did and to see it again makes you feel even worse, it's one of the most stonewall penalties you will see all season.
"We also lose [Smith] to suspension, so it's a huge blow. All he (the ref) can do is look at it and learn from it. I can't ask for more than that. Everyone wants to see diving taken out of the game but maybe he was looking for it where it hadn't happened.
"It was much better from us today. Today we were good, Southampton were good too, there was no thought about settling for a point from either side. But we were disappointed, having taken the lead, not to hold on."
The south coast derby draw sees Bournemouth edge up to 14th in the Premier League table.
Giuseppe Labellarte
