Bruno Fernandes accepted that he let down his Manchester United team-mates after being sent off in their 3-0 defeat by Tottenham. The Red Devils captain was shown the first red card of his Old Trafford career in a controversial incident involving James Maddison.
Fernandes slipped into a tackle on the Spurs midfielder but continued to attempt his desperate effort to win the ball. His left foot caught Maddison high on his knee, with referee Chris Kavanagh waving a red card in the direction of the United star.
Sky Sports reporter Patrick Davison revealed that Fernandes volunteered to be interviewed after the game, a rare move by a player who has been sent off.
Asked to explain why he had offered to speak, Fernandes revealed: “Just to say I let my team-mates down with the one man down (sending off), I do appreciate everything they do on the pitch. Obviously it was tougher for them.
“We didn’t start the game well when it was 11 vs 11, and when this happens, the result is on its side with the red card. They (Fernandes’ team-mates) did very well, they fought and obviously we conceded another two goals. It was difficult to cover all the spaces but it’s many good things that we can take from this and I’m very proud of the team.”
The 30-year-old praised his colleagues for continuing to try to earn a positive result. He continued: “No one likes to be sent off, it’s not a good feeling seeing my team-mates running a lot to try to get a result and to score because that’s what they tried to do. They tried to get the result on our side and we ended up conceding another two goals, but they tried everything.”
Fernandes also revealed that Maddison did not think he deserved to be dismissed. The pair were seen in conversation as Fernandes headed for the dressing room.
United were dismal even before Fernandes saw red. At the time, they trailed 1-0 after Brennan Johnson’s early goal. Micky van de Ven was allowed the freedom of Old Trafford to surge before before squaring for the winger after just two minutes.
Spurs found it too easy with a man advantage. United barely threatened without Fernandes and they found themselves 2-0 down early in the second half thanks to Dejan Kulusevski’s clever finish.
Dominic Solanke added a late third with a finish from close-range. It may have been more, with 17-year-old starlet Mikey Moore curling just wide after a mazy run down the left.
Fernandes will now miss United’s next three domestic matches. He will be available to play against Porto in the Europa League, but will then be absent for Premier League clashes against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham.
