According to Manchester United’s captain, the referee “should have apologized.”
Shortly after the half-hour mark, United earned a penalty, but Bruno Fernandes missed, sending the opportunity soaring over the crossbar. That miss had a major impact on the match, as United dropped points against Fulham, leaving the field with a 1-1 draw. In a post-match press conference, Fernandes highlighted an unfortunate incident during the penalty, saying he believed the referee should have apologized.
Despite Fernandes’ miss, United initially took the lead in the second half through an own goal by Rodrigo Muniz, before substitute Emil Smith Rowe equalized for the hosts.
The penalty was awarded in the 33rd minute after Mason Mount was fouled in the box. Fernandes stepped up to take the spot-kick.
As he placed the ball, he accidentally bumped into referee Chris Kavanagh, which disrupted his focus. He had to reposition the ball and restart his run-up, but ultimately, the Portuguese midfielder blasted the shot over the crossbar, leaving him disappointed.
Fernandes, however, did not use the collision as an excuse, but mentioned it in the press conference, noting that he expected an apology from Kavanagh:
“I was frustrated. Taking a penalty involves a very specific routine, and it was disrupted. I felt bad that the referee didn’t apologize… but this is not an excuse for missing the penalty.”
“Honestly, my shot was very poor. My foot hit too far under the ball, which is why it went over the crossbar.”
After two games in this Premier League season, United are still winless. They lost their opening match last week against Arsenal and now sit 16th in the table with just 1 point, continuing the struggles that marked Ralf Rangnick’s era last season.
