Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has directed criticism at Bruno Fernandes regarding his conduct during the incident that led to Phil Foden’s dismissal in Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
The confrontation occurred during Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
Foden was shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliver in the 23rd minute after making contact with Fernandes.
The incident began when Fernandes committed a foul on Foden near the far touchline.
The United captain then appeared to make a swiping motion towards Foden, who had dropped to the ground.
Foden responded by kicking back at Fernandes, making contact with both feet to the lower abdomen area.
Fernandes subsequently went to ground in a dramatic manner.
Oliver produced the red card without hesitation, leaving Foden shocked.
Fernandes received no punishment for his initial challenge despite being the first to make contact.
Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports coverage, expressed his view that the referee had acted too hastily.
He noted that the incident unfolded rapidly and that Oliver’s vantage point was not optimal.
Carragher stated that he had previously addressed similar situations on the programme, referencing Harry Kane’s conduct in a comparable scenario for Tottenham several years prior.
The former defender maintained that Fernandes had gone to ground pretending to be hurt and that his reaction was disproportionate to what Foden had done, describing it as merely a brushing contact with his foot.
Despite their numerical disadvantage from the early dismissal, City prevailed thanks to Haaland’s 59th-minute goal.
The Norwegian striker converted at the back post following Gvardiol’s deflected cross.
The assistant referee initially raised his flag for offside, but VAR overturned the decision, determining that Haaland was onside and that Fernandez, who was positioned offside, had neither touched the ball nor interfered with Martinez, the nearest United defender to both City players.
The organization Pro Ref subsequently acknowledged that the goal should not have stood, citing a misjudgement in the original offside call that should have been upheld.