Alan Shearer slams ‘pathetic’ Man Utd star after Man City defeat

Alan Shearer has accused Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes of play-acting in an attempt to get Phil Foden sent off in Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick’s side slipped to a damaging 1-0 defeat which came despite playing with a numerical advantage from the 23rd minute onwards.

Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the game in controversial fashion after the VAR failed to adjudge that Enzo Fernandez had been interfering with play from and offside position before the ball reached the City striker.

While United, who have subsequently received a full and frank apology for the error committed by the match officials, were unfortunate to concede the only goal of the contest in that fashion, they were fortuitous not to have been playing with 10 men themselves, according to Shearer.

Foden was given his marching orders in the 23rd minute after he kick out at Fernandes, having been provoked into doing so by a similar offence and Shearer believes Oliver’s decision was heavily influenced by the histrionics of Fernandes who was writhing on the ground.

‘I didn’t agree with either of them to be honest,’ Shearer said on The Rest Is Football, when asked about the two major talking points from a hotly contested match.

‘But I thought the way Bruno Fernandes went down was pathetic. He helped get Foden off and yes he’s kicked out at him a little bit but Bruno Fernandes has also kicked Phil Foden.

‘If Phil Foden reacts in the same way as Bruno Fernandes did then both get red cards. So for me either both are red or neither of them are.

‘You say to Phil Foden, look you’ve been red carded for kicking out. Now, whether it was a hard one or whether it was a soft one, it was a soft one like Bruno Fernandes’ was.

‘He’s kicked out, so he’s stupid OK? But Bruno Fernandes has done the same thing so for me without doubt they both should’ve been a red card if Michael Oliver thinks Phil Foden’s is a red card.’

Rather than focus on the failings of the officials, meanwhile, United summer signing Youri Tielemans expressed frustration United’s meek performance.

Michael Carrick’s men have made a sluggish start to the Premier League season, with a humiliating defeat at Hull, victory against Ipswich and late draw at Everton followed by derby disappointment.

United’s fury at the officiating for that decision is as clear as it is understandable, but Tielemans admits they were not good enough regardless of that moment.

‘It’s disappointing, so everyone is disappointed and frustrated because we know we can play so much better,” the Belgium international told MUTV.

‘We want to do things well and today it didn’t happen like we wanted.’

Marcus Rashford hit the woodwork with a free-kick and Kobbie Mainoo hit a post as United tried to take the lead, but City managed the game impressively for the most part after Foden’s sending off.

‘We didn’t use it,’ Tielemans said. ‘We didn’t use the right spaces, we made mistakes in our passes, maybe rushed it a little bit too much.

‘We didn’t make the right last passes in the final third to create enough chances to score, so, yeah, it was tough.’