The Premier League match centre confirmed on social media that Bruno Fernandes was sent off for ‘serious foul play’ in Manchester United’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham.
United went into the match at home to Spurs in much need of a confidence boost following disappointing results against Crystal Palace and FC Twente.
But they got off to the worst possible start with Brennan Johnson opening the scoring for Tottenham inside three minutes.
The setback failed to ignite United into life with Tottenham looking the more likely to grab the game’s second.
Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the first half
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Moans and groans could be heard around Old Trafford from the home supporters every time a United attack ended in disappointment.
Those frustrations spilled over on the pitch towards the end of the first half when Fernandes was punished for a high challenge on James Maddison.
Referee Chris Kavanagh immediately brandished a red card for the midfielder, who attempted to protest his innocence.
Replays appears to indicate there was minimal contact from Fernandes on Maddison, however VAR opted to stick with the on-field decision.
The decision caused uproar among some United fans who felt the red card was harsh.
Jamie Redknapp also felt the challenge should have resulted in nothing more than a yellow card.
But the Premier League confirmed in a statement on X that Fernandes’ red card stood due to ‘serious foul play’.
Their statement read: “The referee issued a red card to Fernandes for a challenge on Maddison.
“The VAR checked and confirmed the referee’s call of serious foul play.”
The VAR stuck with Chris Kavanagh’s decision
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United were unable to recover with 10 men and found themselves 2-0 down soon after the restart.
Dejan Kulusevski doubled Tottenham’s lead at the start of the second half with Dominic Solanke adding a third to cap a miserable day for United.
Fernandes fronted up to the media after the match where he accepted responsibility for his red card.
“I let my teammates down with one man down,” Fernandes said.
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Manchester United failed to recover after going down to 10 men
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“I do appreciate everything they did on the pitch, it was tough for them.
“We didn’t start the game well. When it’s 11 vs 11, the result is on their side then we get the situation with the red card.
“They did very well, they tried. We conceded another two goals, but it was difficult to cover all the spaces.
“It’s many good things we can take from this. The resilience of the team was there and I’m proud of them.”