Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has criticised Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, blaming the Portuguese international for Phil Foden's red card during the derby clash at Old Trafford.
Foden was dismissed with a straight red in the first half after kicking out at Fernandes during an off-the-ball exchange.
While Carragher acknowledged that Foden's actions warranted punishment, he believes Fernandes’ conduct instigated the incident that led to the referee's harsh decision:
I think both should have been penalised equally. For me, two yellow cards would have sufficed. Yes, Foden raised his leg, but it didn't come across as a fully aggressive strike.
In my eyes, the main culprit is Bruno. He committed a foul first — that's just football. But then he made contact with the grounded Foden and theatrically rolled around on the turf from a slight touch, just to get his opponent sent off. I don’t think Bruno Fernandes comes out of this looking good. It’s a very low move from him.
There are aspects of football that none of us appreciate. Personally, I can't stand it when fit players go down as if they're seriously injured just to get an opponent sent off. I've said exactly the same on Monday Night Football about England captain Harry Kane, when he got Doucoure sent off at Goodison Park. I have immense respect for Kane, but I was critical then too.
We often overlook such antics from players. Right now, the focus is on Foden's reaction when it should be on Fernandes' behaviour. It’s time we started punishing players who feign agony when they’re perfectly fine. Our leniency encourages diving.
Additionally, Carragher questioned the actions of referee Michael Oliver, who swiftly brandished the red card without a thorough evaluation of the incident:
Foden lost his cool, but Michael Oliver issued the red card too hastily. If you look at the footage from the ref cam, it’s impossible to see where Foden's leg was and how the contact occurred. How could he see that with absolute certainty at full speed? It remains a mystery.
Sometimes referees seem obsessed with making a call on the pitch, to avoid VAR intervention. But the whole point of VAR is to ensure decisions are fair and accurate. In a high-speed scenario without a clear view, the referee should have stepped back and asked: 'Guys at the monitors, I need your help.'
