Bruno Fernandes' behaviour in the incident that saw Phil Foden shown a red card in the Manchester derby was lamentable and not befitting of his role as Manchester United captain. The United captain then went missing against City's 10 men.
Fernandes' dark arts in the derby
First things first, you will be glad to know Bruno Fernandes is okay. Bet you were worried for him after that vicious attack from well-known hard man Phil Foden. "More of a flick or a gesture," said Wayne Rooney. And he was absolutely spot-on. It was an angry gesture, for sure. But that was about it.
Fernandes writhed around as though he had been kung fu-kicked in the solar plexus, and Michael Oliver bought it in the same way that Foden had bought it. Both fell for Fernandes's dark arts. "He's helped his team-mates there," remarked Gary Neville, unsurprisingly.
Fernandes might have helped his team-mates but it was still a pretty lousy cameo. Yes, he is probably in a majority when it comes to trying to get opponents sent off, but it is still lousy. This is the Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year, don't forget. Is it too idealistic to think a player might NOT try to get a fellow pro dismissed and banned? Yes, of course it is. Enzo Fernandez was at it later, trying to get Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire in trouble. It is lamentable. But it is not going to change.
Oliver's responsibility and Haaland's goal
Anyway, the harsh dismissal of Foden was the sole responsibility of Oliver, who, incidentally, had more touches of the ball than Haaland. Matthew Donohue, the VAR, was never going to tell the country's top-billed referee that he might have got it wrong. But he was happy to award a goal to Erling Haaland after lengthy deliberation. There will be many out there who still don't understand how Haaland's effort - well-taken, to be fair - was allowed to stand.
Surely Enzo Fernandez, clearly offside, was having an impact on proceedings. So, although they will be losing Foden for three games, City cannot really complain about the officiating. And as it happened, the red card ended up having a negligible effect on proceedings. If anything, it might have somehow made United a touch complacent - although considering their current status, that would be hard to believe.
Carrick's setback and the challenge ahead
This was a real setback for Michael Carrick. He was unable to galvanise his team, unable to elicit any sort of reaction after Haaland's controversial goal. Yes, Bryan Mbeumo might have rescued a point in added time but the lack of imagination in United ranks was startling. Perhaps Fernandes felt guilty for getting Foden sent off. It was a brutal result for Carrick and United, who are already eight points behind City and Arsenal.
At the final whistle, Carrick turned to shake Enzo Maresca's hand, only to find the City manager was already in front of the visiting fans, punching the air. And the Italian did not seem to seek out Carrick after he had gone around each of his City players, giving them a hug. It left the United boss to walk from the field on his own, head down, no doubt considering the possible injustice of the winner but, more than likely, considering the size of the challenge ahead. That golden interim period seems a long, long time ago.
