In the 34th minute, Mason Mount was brought down by Calvin Bassey during a corner kick for Man Utd. After consulting VAR, referee Chris Kavanagh awarded Fulham a penalty. As usual, the penalty kick was taken by captain Bruno Fernandes.
But as Fernandes backed up to take the penalty, he bumped into referee Kavanagh. The Portuguese midfielder reacted angrily as the referee adjusted the positions of other players outside the penalty area. The 30-year-old midfielder picked up the ball again and exchanged words with the referee. Then, he placed the ball on the penalty spot. Fernandes' penalty sailed over the bar, leading him to cover his face in disappointment.
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Fernandes bumping into the referee before missing the penalty for Man Utd against Fulham at Craven Cottage, London, UK, in the second round of the Premier League on 24/8/2025. Photo: ESPN |
Fernandes bumping into the referee before missing the penalty for Man Utd against Fulham at Craven Cottage, London, UK, in the second round of the Premier League on 24/8/2025. Photo: ESPN
On Sky Sports, former player Gary Neville commented on the incident: "The referee touched Fernandes a bit, unintentionally causing him to lose focus. Then Fernandes reacted strongly and missed. Maybe that situation affected the Man Utd captain's mentality."
Normally, when a player backs up to prepare for a penalty kick, opponents are not allowed to stand close to obstruct. However, in this case, Fernandes bumped into the referee, and it seemed Kavanagh did not do it intentionally. The Portuguese midfielder was also backing up without looking behind him.
Many comments on social media suggested that Fernandes was oversensitive, even trying to blame the referee. CallumCastel7 wrote sarcastically on X: "I really enjoyed Gary Neville's very fair comments during the Man Utd match. He blamed the referee for Fernandes' missed penalty, no surprise there."
ABChaplinsBoot was harsher on the 30-year-old midfielder: "Fernandes got mad at bumping into the referee, a very small thing. In the end, he had to pay the price. Good."
SMurphyTV commented: "It's ridiculous. The referee accidentally touched him slightly, and Bruno overreacted and missed the chance. Did he want the referee to give himself a yellow card?"
pilotlight07 responded: "If Fernandes had focused on taking the penalty instead of complaining, he probably would have scored. His behavior was pathetic, like a child."
This is not the first time Fernandes and Kavanagh have clashed. Last season, the 39-year-old referee gave the Portuguese midfielder a red card in Man Utd's heavy defeat to Tottenham. But a few days later, the red card was rescinded. The tension between the two made the incident on the evening of 24/8 a focal point of controversy.
Despite Fernandes' penalty miss, Man Utd took the lead in the 58th minute thanks to an own goal by Rodrigo Muniz. However, in the 76th minute, Emile Smith Rowe scored to equalize for Fulham, making the final score 1-1.
This result dropped the "Red Devils" one place to 16th in the Premier League. Fernandes' career penalty conversion rate also dropped from 91% to below 90%.
Hoang An
