Fernandes’ Costly Miss Gives Fulham A Point

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was left to count the cost of his missed first-half penalty as Emile Smith Rowe earned Fulham a point at Craven Cottage.

Fernandes must have thought his blushes would be spared by Leny Yoro’s deflected and contentious second-half header that put United ahead and officially went down as a Rodrigo Muniz own goal.

However, Smith Rowe, on as a substitute, had other ideas, pouncing on an Alex Iwobi cross from the touchline that had bounced into the visitors’ six-yard box.

The equaliser in the 1-1 draw just heightened the sense of regret at Fernandes’ failure from the spot.

The Portuguese playmaker seemed the calmest man in the stadium as referee Chris Kavanagh took an age to review Calvin Bassey’s challenge on Mason Mount at a corner. It had been an incident that few seemed to complain about as play initially continued.

But Fernandes was unsettled as he collided with Kavanagh when getting ready to take the kick and, after resetting himself, sent his penalty soaring over the bar.

It was Fernandes’ first penalty miss since December 2023 and came on another day when United played well but were unable to secure their first win of the season.

In contrast, Fulham showed plenty of battling qualities as they ended a run of eight straight home defeats to United, although they too are still waiting for a first win of the campaign.

The London side felt particularly aggrieved that United’s goal was awarded, with Bassey adamant he had been unlawfully pushed by Yoro. Fulham boss Marco Silva told BBC Sport that “everybody in the world” could see an infringement.

BBC.com