Manchester United fans watched as Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur team without talisman Heung-Min Son thrashed their team at Old Trafford but it was Bruno Fernandes’ red card that stood out more.
The captain was sent off in the 42nd minute of the game for a tackle that is being debated in the media and in refereeing circles. He appeared to slip as he was closing down on Spurs’ James Maddison and the resulting tackle appeared to be dangerous, leading to his sending off by referee Chris Kavanagh.
The Portuguese midfielder shared his thoughts on the issue, starting with an apology to his teammates for putting them in such a situation, but adamantly holding on to the belief that he did not deserve the red card.
“Just [I want] to say I let my teammates down, one man down. I appreciate everything was tougher for them,” Fernandes told Sky Sports after the match. “We didn’t start well 11 v 11 and they did very well, we conceded more goals [after] but it was difficult to cover all the spaces. We can take away that the resilience of the team was always there and I’m very proud of them.
“Nobody likes to be sent-off and it’s not a good feeling seeing my teammates run a lot trying to get the result; that’s what they did, they tried everything.”
Speaking on the tackle, Fernandes said: “I don’t take [the decision] as everyone wants to see it, not with my studs. I take him with my ankle.
“He [Maddison] said it’s a foul but never a red card, that’s what he said. You can see it’s never a red card – we have to look at many other incidents, I get kicked and never see the red card coming so quick.
“It’s a foul, if he wants to give a yellow even as the contact is not that strong. If it’s a yellow because it’s a counter attack I agree but I don’t know why the VAR doesn’t call the referee to the screen.”
A former referee, Keith Hackett, has also spoken out on the issue and is also of the opinion that Fernandes did not deserve to be sent off.
“I can see why the referee may have decided this was worthy of a red card, as Fernandes looked to challenge James Maddison with Tottenham on the breakaway. However, after multiple viewings, I lean towards a yellow card.
“I feel the referee Chris Kavanagh would have benefitted from being asked to look at the incident again on the pitch-side monitor.”
