Bruno Fernandes has refused to blame referee Chris Kavanagh for his missed penalty in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against Fulham on Sunday. Kavanagh accidentally nudged Fernandes as the United captain was waiting to take the spot kick, leaving him visibly irked before he blazed over the bar at Craven Cottage.
It was just the fifth penalty the 30-year-old has missed in his Premier League career and contributed to a disappointing afternoon in west London. United found the opener through Rodrigo Muniz’s second-half own goal, but surrendered the lead shortly after as substitute Emile Smith-Rowe drew the hosts level.
After full-time, Fernandes put his penalty blunder down to his own failings, admitting he made poor contact with the ball.
However, he claimed that the source of his unhappiness with Kavanagh was that the referee did not apologise for inadvertently disrupting his preparation.
“Yeah, I was upset. Obviously, as a penalty taker, like everyone, you have your own routine. You have your own things that you do,” Fernandes told Sky Sports.
“It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise. And that was what triggered me in the moment. But that is no excuse for missing the penalty.
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“I just took a bad hit of the ball, I put my foot too under the ball, and that’s why it ended up going over the bar.”
Ruben Amorim also diffused suggestions that Fernandes would have blamed Kavanagh for his penalty miss after the 1-1 draw intensified pressure for results.
He said: “No. I think he is not used to missing penalties. He knows the importance of every moment in this context, as it can have a huge impact on the team.
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“And I felt that, during the game, he was like not so happy, not so involved because he has so much responsibility, and I think he felt that. His missed penalty was huge for us.
United have picked up just one point from the first six available in the Premier League this season, having lost 1-0 against Arsenal on the opening weekend.
Saturday’s clash with Burnley at Old Trafford is a must-win affair before a daunting double-header against Manchester City and Chelsea.
First, United travel to Blundell Park to face League Two club Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round on Wednesday.
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