Ex-Premier League Ref Gives Verdict on Bruno Fernandes’ Red Card in Man Utd 0-3 Tottenham

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has labelled Bruno Fernandes’ red card vs Tottenham as ‘unlucky’. The Manchester United captain was shown a straight red card by Chris Kavanagh after a high challenge on James Maddison, although Hackett believes VAR should have intervened.

Already trailing to an early Brennan Johnson goal, the Red Devils’ fortunes went from bad to worse following Fernandes’ dismissal. Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke added second half goals to compound 10-man United to a third Premier League defeat of the season.

The home side were struggling to cope with the impressive attacking football Ange Postecoglou’s men were playing at Old Trafford with 11 men on the pitch, so matters only worsened when the visitors had a man advantage. Many were quick to point out how unfortunate the red card was as replays showed Fernandes appeared to slip into Maddison, rather than going in with malicious intent.

Former Premier League Official’s Verdict

Keith Hackett believes a yellow card would have sufficed

Writing in his column for The Telegraph, Hackett showed sympathy and understanding for the on-field decision as he explained: “I can see why the referee may have decided this was worthy of a red card, as Fernandes looked to challenge James Maddison with Tottenham on the breakaway. However, after multiple viewings, I lean towards a yellow card.”

VAR didn’t intervene to suggest a second look at the replays, meaning the referee’s decision stood. Hackett continued to say he thinks Kavanagh should have been given a second look at the incident:

The former top-flight official explained the difficulty of making a decision with the slip considered: “It’s a difficult one and the factors need to be looked at: was there excessive force, how high up Maddison’s leg did the tackle connect and did Fernandes endanger the safety of his opponent? Looking at the replays multiple times, it’s the slip that triggers the problem.”

The Games Fernandes Could Miss

He will be unavailable for the trip to Villa Park

With Man United looking to try and turn their fortunes around in the Premier League, Fernandes will be unavailable for the trip to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa next Sunday. Hackett claimed he’s unsure if the Portuguese ace will be absent for one or three games: “It is hard to say whether this will result in a one-match ban or a three-match ban.”

However, he did state that he doesn’t anticipate the ban being extended to three matches: “It will be up to the panel to rule whether it is a three-match ban, but I would be very surprised.” If he was to be handed the bigger suspension, Fernandes would also miss league matches against Brentford and West Ham in a crucial period for Erik ten Hag’s men.