Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes Slams Referee Over Penalty Miss in United’s Draw at Fulham
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has criticized referee Chris Kavanagh for not apologizing after a collision disrupted his penalty routine during Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham. The Portugal international missed a first-half penalty, sending it over the crossbar after Kavanagh inadvertently bumped into him while he was preparing his run-up, forcing a restart.
Despite Leny Yoro’s deflected header giving United the lead in the second half, Emile Smith Rowe equalized for Fulham, leaving United winless with one point from two matches following last week’s home defeat to Arsenal.
Fernandes, while not blaming Kavanagh for the miss, expressed his frustration, saying, “I was upset… As a penalty-taker, you have your own routines… It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise.
That is what triggered me in that moment, but that’s not the excuse for missing the penalty. I had a very bad hit on the ball. I put my foot too under it, and that’s why it went over the bar.” The incident highlighted a rare lapse in Fernandes’ usually composed performances.
The draw at Craven Cottage added to United’s early season woes, and Fernandes didn’t hide his disappointment. “We cannot be satisfied with one point,” he said. “We came here to win the game. We were defending very well, but in one of them they got their goal.
For us, it is very disappointing to not win today.” With a challenging Carabao Cup tie against Grimsby Town next, Fernandes’ comments reflect the mounting pressure on the team to turn their season around as they seek their first victory.
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