Bruno Fernandes stated that he didn’t think he should have been sent off for a dangerous tackle on James Maddison during Manchester United’s Premier League loss to Tottenham on Sunday.
The United captain received a straight red card in the 42nd minute at Old Trafford.
“Nobody wants to be sent off, it’s not a good feeling,” said Fernandes, who made the unusual choice to speak to the media after his dismissal. “I didn’t go in with my studs. It’s never a red card. Even James Maddison, when he got up, said it’s not a red card.”
Fernandes seemed to slip while trying to tackle in Tottenham’s half but then lifted his foot and caught Maddison on the shin in a studs-up challenge. Referee Christopher Kavanagh quickly issued a red card.
“If this is a red card, we have to look at many other incidents,” Fernandes said. “It is a foul. There is not much contact. If he (the referee) wants to give me a yellow, I agree. I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t ask him to check the screen.”
According to Opta, which provides statistics for the league, Fernandes became the fourth United captain to be sent off in a Premier League match at Old Trafford.
He joined Roy Keane, Nemanja Vidic, and Wayne Rooney on that list.
United was losing 1-0 at halftime after Brennan Johnson scored in the third minute.
Things got worse for United in the second half when Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke scored, leading to a 3-0 victory for Spurs.