Bruno Fernandes explained how referee ‘triggered’ him prior to penalty miss against Fulham

Bruno Fernandes has explained how the referee “upset” him prior to his surprise penalty miss for Manchester United on Sunday.

United skipper Fernandes had the perfect chance to open his account for the new season against Fulham at Craven Cottage after a VAR review penalised Calvin Bassey for a foul on Mason Mount inside the penalty area.

But the Portugal international blazed his spot-kick over the bar and into the stands, missing in the Premier League for the fifth time since joining United in 2020.

On commentary, Sky Sports pundit and former United captain Gary Neville noticed a moment with official Chris Kavanagh just before the wayward strike, claiming the “referee giving him a slight nudge unnerved him a little bit”.

Kavanagh bumped into Fernandes, who looked visibly annoyed just moments before the whistle blew.

After the game, which United drew 1-1 following Emile Smith Rowe’s strike cancelling out a Rodrigo Muniz own goal, Fernandes was asked about the incident and whether it affected his preparation.

The former Sporting CP man explained he was not happy with the referee’s failure to apologise but stressed that only he was to blame for skying his effort.

“Yeah, I was upset,” Fernandes told Sky Sports.

“Obviously as a penalty taker, like everyone, you have your own routine. You have your own things that you do.

“It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise. And that was what triggered me in the moment.

“But that is no excuse for missing the penalty. I just took a bad hit of the ball, I put my foot too under the ball, and that’s why it ended up going over the bar.”

Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty in the Premier League for the fifth time. Image: GettyBruno Fernandes missed a penalty in the Premier League for the fifth time. Image: Getty

Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty in the Premier League for the fifth time. Image: Getty

Fernandes has proved to be one of the most reliable penalty takers in the Premier League, scoring 22 times.

Ruben Amorim comments on Bruno Fernandes penalty miss

Before Sunday, his last miss came against Chelsea in December 2023. Asked if Fernandes felt Kavanagh was the reason for his miss, Ruben Amorim said: “No. I think he is not used to missing penalties. He knows the importance of every moment in this context, as it can have a huge impact on the team.

“And I felt that, during the game, he was like not so happy, not so involved because he has so much responsibility, and I think he felt that. His missed penalty was huge for us.”

United are back in action on Wednesday when they take on Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round, before a home game against Burnley on 30 August.