Bournemouth ace Jefferson Lerma appears to be PUNCHED by Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen

Jefferson Lerma suffered a broken nose from a punch to the face from Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen and Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil insists he will demand answers about the situation from PGMOL chief Howard Webb.

The Cherries midfielder went face down in the 30th minute of Saturday’s match at Selhurst Park, which the hosts eventually won 2-0.

However, the main talking point of the game was an off-the-ball incident between Lerma and Palace defender Andersen.

The two players collide in the center of the penalty area, with the Danish defender appearing to thrust a fist into the Bournemouth midfielder’s face.

Lerma went down holding his face and continued treatment, but despite a lengthy VAR check, referee Michael Salisbury signaled for play to continue. Andersen escaped a warning.

Cherries boss O’Neil was stunned by the decision after the game, telling BBC Sport: ‘Andersen punched Lerma in the face, Jefferson has a broken nose. I’m not sure what we have to do to get a penalty.

“It’s hard on the pitch to see that, but I have no idea how the VAR can give it as a check complete.

‘He [Lerma] was in pain, his nose is broken, it was a strange incident. But there are other things I need to talk about. A penalty could have made the difference, but Palace were much better.’

O’Neil later suggested that he will speak to PGMOL Chief Referee Howard Webb about the incident tomorrow.

The Cherries were level in the game when the incident occurred, but fell behind shortly after with an attack from Eberechi Eze.

The England striker doubled his score for the afternoon after the break, accumulating misery at the side of O’Neil, who are 14th in the table.

VAR has been a hotly contested topic in the Premier League and on Monday Night Football, Howard Webb will discuss some of this season’s questionable calls.