Gabriel Agbonlahor has laid into Bruno Fernandes, accusing the Manchester United captain of trying to con the referee during the recent Manchester derby. Agbonlahor insists that Fernandes' antics played a significant role in the dismissal of Phil Foden.
Foden was shown a straight red card in the 23rd minute after reacting to Fernandes' actions. However, despite their numerical advantage, Manchester United fell to a 1-0 defeat, with Erling Haaland scoring the only goal in the second half.
Speaking about the incident, Agbonlahor stated:
In the end, Bruno Fernandes is a simulator. He’s an outstanding player, but he’s a simulator.
You hit Foden twice while he was on the floor, and you could have received a red card yourself. Then, when Foden responds slightly, you’re rolling on the ground as if it’s a serious injury, when it clearly isn’t.
A decent referee would have stepped in and said: ‘You both, cut it out.’ Both should have received a yellow, and the game goes on. That wasn’t a sending-off.
Agbonlahor argued that United's defeat, having played over an hour with a man advantage, was a form of poetic justice for the incident:
In the end, karma caught up with United and their captain.
Moreover, the only goal of the match sparked additional controversy, as the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) later admitted a VAR error in allowing Haaland's goal, which should have been ruled out due to Enzo Fernandez’s offside position.
