Bruno Fernandes: Manchester United Captain Explains Why He Missed Penalty vs Fulham
- Bruno Fernandes has explained his costly penalty miss during Manchester United's game against Fulham
- The Red Devils' skipper fired his shot well over the bar with Ruben Amorim's side going on to drop points again
- The penalty itself was given under controversial circumstances following Calvin Bassey's fight with Mason Mount in the area
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Bruno Fernandes has come out to explain why he missed his penalty kick against Fulham on August 24.
Source: Getty Images
Fernandes blazed his effort over Bernd Leno's goal during Manchester United's Premier League game at Craven Cottage on Sunday evening.
The Red Devils' uninspiring start to the new season continued after they were held to a one-all draw in the capital.
The result follows their 1-0 loss to Arsenal last weekend, where they dominated most of the game but failed to breach the Gunners' defence.
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Why Manchester United were given penalty vs Fulham
The result in London could perhaps have been different had Fernandes buried his penalty. Calvin Bassey was penalised for bringing down Mason Mount in the box. The foul was given despite Luke Shaw committing a similar mistake on Rodrigo Muniz.
"After a VAR review, the referee overturned the original call of no penalty for a challenge by Bassey on Mount," read the explanation from the Premier League.
"Referee announcement: 'After review, Fulham number 3 pulls the Manchester (United) player to the ground. The final decision is a penalty kick'."
As usual, Fernandes stepped up to take the penalty, but as referee Cris Kavanagh was giving instructions, he barged into the United skipper.
Source: Getty Images
Bruno Fernandes explains why he missed penalty
Fernandes appeared to be far from happy with the accidental collision and let the referee know. When he eventually put the ball down, he sent it over the bar, much to the relief of the home crowd.
Speaking after the game, Fernandes revealed the collision put him off.
"Yeah, I was upset. Like every penalty taker, you have your own routine. You have your own things that you do, but he upset me because the referee didn’t apologise and that is what triggered me in that moment," he said on Sky Sports.
Despite being upset at the official, the 30-year-old didn't blame him for the miss and explained what happened.
"But that's not an excuse for missing the penalty. I had a very bad hit on the ball. I put my foot under the ball, and that's why it ended up going over the bar."
Leny Yoro later gave United the lead, though the goal was later passed on as a Rodrigo Muniz own goal.
Fulham came back through Emile Smith-Rowe, who poked the ball past Altay Bayindir to ensure both sides got a point apiece.
Amorim defends Bruno Fernandes
Head coach Ruben Amorim backed his captain, stating that he took responsibility.
"I think he’s not used to missing a penalty. He knows the importance that every moment in this context can have a huge impact on the team. I felt that during the game he was not so happy, not so involved because he has so much responsibility, and I think he felt that in that moment," he said via Manchester United's website.
Arteta issues Saka, Odegaard update
In a separate story, Mikel Arteta provided an injury update on Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard after the pair walked off during their game against Leeds United.
The Gunners won that game 5-0, but the result was dampened by injuries to two of their captains.
Odegaard walked off after a knock on his shoulder, while Saka had a hamstring issue.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
