The defence calls the Tottenham No 10. “Even [James] Maddison when he gets up, he said it was a foul but never a red card,” insisted Bruno Fernandes. And if it was an accurate version of events, even if he has a star witness, he was pleading in vain. “I don’t think it was a red card,” said Erik ten Hag. “I don’t know why VAR doesn’t call the referee to the screen,” added Fernandes
There is a simple answer to that: because Chris Kavanagh’s initial decision was correct, because a high challenge connected with Maddison’s leg when nowhere near the ball. Fernandes’ lunge looked reckless and out of control, the sort that could be deemed dangerous. Cut through the Portuguese’s grumbles, however, and there was one pertinent comment. “I let my teammates down with one man down,” said Fernandes.
A 3-0 defeat to Tottenham brought Fernandes’ first red card in his 242-game Manchester United career. Not the first suggestions he has let the team down, as captain and in a tough game; perhaps the first time he has admitted it, though. Go back 18 months and two others who had worn the armband, Gary Neville and Roy Keane, described his behaviour in the 7-0 defeat to Liverpool as a “disgrace” and “disgraceful” respectively; or last year’s 3-0 Manchester derby loss when Keane said he should be stripped of the captaincy.
If, when things are going wrong, Fernandes has a tendency towards petulance or cynicism, arguably each was a factor in his attempts to halt Maddison. A habit of moaning to referees, however, has never previously involved complaining about his own dismissal.
The Portuguese’s own feelings of injustice will not save him from a three-match ban, including visits to Aston Villa and West Ham, both fixtures United have lost before under Ten Hag. Assuming any appeal fails, he will not be seen in the Premier League until November. A three-match suspension would amount to the longest rest of a United career when he has been almost ever-present.
Usually excellent, too. But not at the start of the season and not now, apart potentially from in the Europa League, for another month. For 40 minutes, the most notable element of his display was that he was one of four United players left in Micky van de Ven’s slipstream when the Dutch roadrunner accelerated away to set up Spurs’ third-minute opener.
In the season as a whole, a player with 79 United goals in four-and-a-half years has the unwanted distinction of having the most shots of anyone in the Premier League who is yet to score: only three of his 17 have even been on target. Fernandes has been creating fewer chances, exerting less of an influence. When even the most successful signing of the post-Ferguson years, arguably the best player of the last decade is floundering, it is indicative of deep-rooted problems at Old Trafford.
A sending off capped a personal slump. There may have been echoes of Harry Maguire, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s chosen captain, being dismissed in the Norwegian’s final game at Watford in 2021. It was a symbol of a collapsing regime. Ten Hag has not reached the point of no return yet, but there is the possibility things unravel still further with Fernandes banned.
The red card he disputed could be attributed to a slip, but also to a frustration because of United’s failings. Four days earlier, Christian Eriksen had criticised the team for a lack of hunger in the draw against Twente. Against Spurs, Ten Hag admitted: “What I saw in the first 30 minutes is below the level of what we can expect from a Manchester United team.”
United were lackadaisical in first half, their pressing game not working. Fernandes has a habit of taking matters into his own hands – or, he would argue, taking responsibility: often with long-range shooting or attempts to unlock a defence with an audacious pass, but perhaps this time with a bit of a swipe as an opponent was getting away from him.
“The players got very stressful after they concede so quickly the goal and they make some very bad decisions,” said Ten Hag. It was a general observation, but it applied to Fernandes’ actions. Often his individualism can compensate for the failure of the collective; this time, it compounded the collective shortcomings.
Five years since his previous red card, for Sporting Lisbon against Boavista, he sounded self-pitying. “It’s never a red card and if it is, we have to look at many other incidents,” he added. United should not allow themselves to be distracted by such suggestions, though. If they have three games to do something they have rarely had to do since January 2020 – play without Fernandes – and if Mason Mount, who can appear incompatible with the captain, may relish his ban, United got sidetracked by excuses last season, attributing everything to injuries.
They were dismal against Tottenham with Fernandes. He has been disappointing this season. And normally in times of strife, United look to Fernandes to lead them out of it. Now they cannot and if he has had many a low with the United armband on, Tottenham represented the lowest.