After captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off late in the first half, Manchester United suffered a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Fernandes felt that the decision to send him off was “not a good decision” and insisted that it “was never a red card.”

While he acknowledged that playing with just 10 men posed a significant challenge for his teammates, United manager Erik ten Hag also expressed his belief that the red card was the wrong call.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes stated that James Maddison, a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, told him that his dismissal during the match against Spurs was “never a red card.” Just before halftime, Fernandes received a straight red card for a rough tackle on Maddison. It appeared that Fernandes was slipping when he reached out and caught Maddison with his boot.

At the time of his dismissal, United was trailing 1-0 and ultimately lost the match 3-0. In response to a question about the red card later on Sky Sports, Fernandes stated, “It’s a clear foul but never a red card.” He noted that even Maddison, upon getting up, acknowledged that while there was a foul, it did not warrant a red card.

“As you can see, it was never a red card, and if it were, we would need to review many other incidents. I’ve been fouled numerous times, but I’ve never seen a red card given so quickly,” he added. “There isn’t much contact. I understand if he wants to give me a yellow card due to the counterattack, but why didn’t VAR ask the referee to review it on the screen? In my opinion, that’s not a wise choice.”

The Premier League later stated that “the VAR checked and upheld the referee’s decision of serious foul play.”