Bruno Fernandes has revealed that James Maddison told him he did not deserve the red card he received in his side’s humiliating 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
The Manchester United captain was sent off for a tackle which scraped the shin of the Spurs midfielder just before half-time.Â
With the away side already on top at 1-0, Fernandes’s first red card for the club all but settled the result this afternoon with Ange Postecoglou’s outfit later adding two second-half goals.
Finishes from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke built on Brennan Johnson’s third-minute opener and gave Tottenham their fourth consecutive win in all competitions.
In what proved the key incident of the encounter, Fernandes lashed out at Maddison and could be seen chatting with his opponent shortly after. Following the match, the United man revealed what was discussed.
Bruno Fernandes has revealed that James Maddison told him he did not deserve the red card he received in his side’s humiliating 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur
He said: ‘I let my team-mates down. I do appreciate everything they do on the pitch’
The Manchester United captain was sent off for a tackle which scraped the shin of the Spurs midfielder just before half-time
He said: ‘I let my team-mates down. I do appreciate everything they do on the pitch. We didn’t start the game well. We get the situation with the red card. They did very well. It was difficult to cover all the spaces. I’m proud of the team.
‘No one likes to be sent off. It’s not a good feeling. We end up conceding another two goals.
‘I don’t go in with the studs, it’s a clear foul but never a red card. Maddison said it is a foul but it’s not a red card. If this is a red card we have to look at other incidents. I think it’s never a red card. It’s a foul if he wants to give a yellow. I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t call the referee to the screen.
‘We find a lot of spaces but we could never connect. It wasn’t always like one touch more. We gave the ball away too many times for them to counter.’
On Sky Sports, former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp said: ‘They had a couple of chances but they didn’t really stir the crowd into life.Â
‘It’s tough down to ten men. You can’t just switch it on and off. I don’t think they were good enough in any capacity.’
Both sides came into the Sunday afternoon clash with the same set of mediocre records – a couple of wins, a couple of draws, and a couple of defeats – and with an urgent need to kickstart their campaign.Â
Each outfit boasts an array of pacey, attacking talent notwithstanding Heung-Min Son’s late withdrawal from the Spurs starting eleven with a suspected hamstring issue. Â
Tottenham Hotspur produced a free-flowing attacking display to condemn ten-man Manchester United to a crushing 3-0 defeat
The result mounted more pressure on Erik Ten Hag after a poor start to the season
Fernandes added:Â ‘I don’t go in with the studs, it’s a clear foul but never a red card. Maddison said it is a foul but it’s not a red card’
But the breakthrough, which continued a trend of early goals in matches between the two, came from an unlikely source in the away side’s back line.
With statistics often suggesting van de Ven is the league’s fastest man, the enterprising centre-back’s surging run in the third minute should not have shocked United – yet their defence was statuesque as the Dutchman set up the opener.
Picking up the ball inside his own half, the 23-year-old channelled the spirit of Franz Beckenbauer as he glided unchallenged down the left channel before beating three men as he arrived in the opposition box.
He then fizzed a delivery low across the home side’s goal, which was met by a gleeful Johnson who tapped home.
The finish continued the former Nottingham Forest man’s rich vein of form and gave him a fourth goal in four matches.
A shocked Old Trafford descended into a hushed murmur – the near silence only broken by the odd, equally muted, flurry of boos as the Red Devils comitted a series of unforced errors, passing the ball out of play and losing challenges.Â
Johnson then nearly doubled his tally for the day after being found in bags of space by Kulusevski inside the United box, but the right winger’s low strike crashed into the left-hand post.
Spurs were almost made to pay for the wastefulness just seconds later as a jinky Kobbie Mainoo run ended with a clever ball to Joshua Zirkzee whose shot from 12 yards out was straight at Guglielmo Vicario.Â
Ange Postecoglou’s side made it four wins in a row in all competitions and could have had six or seven
The away team scored early in each half to set the tone, Brennan Johnson finishing after a spectacular Micky van de Ven run in the first period
Johnson then found Dejan Kulusevski in the area who poked it past Onana at full stretch before wheeling off in manic celebration
United’s woes worsened as Mainoo went off injured, with the side briefly reduced to nine men as Mason Mount waited excruciatingly to come on
But the visitors remained on top creating a string of chances. An acrobatic attempt from Cristian Romero had United hearts in mouths before Timo Werner, released into space in the penalty area, struck a weak finish at a grateful Onana.
Alejandro Garnacho hit the post but it was all Spurs and the home side ressembled a group of ungelled individuals as they so often have over the last few seasons.
United’s frustration soon boiled over. Captain Fernandes petulantly flicking out a leg to catch James Maddison just below the knee to receive his first red card in a four-year spell at Old Trafford.Â
United’s woes worsened as Mainoo went off injured, with the side briefly reduced to nine men as Mason Mount waited excruciatingly to come on.
Ten Hag’s side were now just desperate for half-time to arrive and when it did Spurs walked off the pitch with mixed emotions – a spring in their step after a free-flowing team performance but a sense of ruefulness after a host of missed opportunities.
But they need not have worried. Just over a minute into the second period, the away side repeated their speedy trick with Kulusevski scoring his first of the season.
Johnson turned provider as he bounded into the United box exploiting the bags of space which had become symptomatic of the home team’s chaotic defensive shape.
He found Kulusevski in the area who poked it past Onana at full stretch before wheeling off in manic celebration.Â
The atmosphere at Old Trafford threatened to turn toxic and Spurs wasted more chances to take the game well out of sight as the away fans chanted ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ in the direction of Ten Hag.Â
An impressive double save from Onana saw Werner pass the ball straight at the keeper before the Cameroonian pounced to grab it from the feet of Solanke.
But these near-misses served to embolden United who creeped back into the game, backed by defiant fans who had braved the chilly and wet September weather.Â
Lisandro Martinez was at the centre of the action with the defender shooting wide and having a strike blocked as the Red Devils looked for an unlikely goal to halve the deficit.
Substitute Casemiro then almost silenced the critics of the last few weeks as he laced it past the post on the half volley with Spurs now creaking.
United mounted a spirited surge back into the game with Lisandro Martinez at the heart of the action
Substitute Casemiro then almost silenced the critics of the last few weeks as he laced it past the post on the half volley with Spurs now creaking
Pape Sarr then flicked on the ball from a corner and it fell into the path of Solanke
Any vague hopes of a miraculous comeback to save Ten Hag’s skin were demolished with 13 minutes left on the clock as new signing Solanke bagged a decisive third.
Pape Sarr flicked on the ball from a corner and it fell into the path of the Englishman who poked home from just four yards out – his third goal against United in three matches.
Ten Hag remained motionless on the touchline as thousands of exasperated Red Devils supporters headed for the exits around him. Another day closer to a long-drawn out departure from the United hotseat.
