‘Upset me that the referee didn’t apologise’ – Bruno Fernandes rues disrupted routine after penalty miss in Fulham draw
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has opened up on his crucial missed penalty in Sunday’s Premier League encounter against Fulham at Craven Cottage, insisting it was poor technique — not an on-field collision with the referee — that caused him to blaze the spot-kick over the bar.
Fernandes was preparing to take the penalty in the 38th minute when he accidentally bumped into referee Chris Kavanagh, disrupting his usual routine. The incident visibly unsettled him, and the Portuguese midfielder later told Sky Sports: “I just got too much under the ball, and that’s why it went over the bar. The referee didn’t apologise, which upset me, but that’s not an excuse for missing the penalty.”
Despite Fernandes’ miss, United took the lead through an own goal by Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz just after the hour mark. However, the hosts fought back with Emile Smith Rowe equalising 17 minutes from time, and the match ended 1-1.
United manager Ruben Amorim acknowledged the penalty miss affected Fernandes’ performance and called for greater maturity from his side after failing to hold on to the lead. “He’s our leader and has so much responsibility. I felt he was thinking about the penalty throughout the game. We need to move on and focus,” Amorim said.
The draw means Manchester United remain without a league win this season, with Amorim reflecting on the team’s overall performance: “After we scored, we seemed to forget how we play. We must grow up as a team and learn to maintain our advantage.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva expressed frustration over two key refereeing decisions, including the awarded penalty, which came after a VAR review involving a tussle between United’s Calvin Bassey and Mason Mount. Silva said: “I cannot understand the decisions made today. Everybody saw what happened at Craven Cottage.”
The draw leaves both teams eager for better fortune as the Premier League season progresses. (With inputs from Agencies)