Bruno Fernandes reacts to penalty miss following referee collision

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·24 August 2025

Bruno Fernandes reacts to penalty miss following referee collision

Bruno Fernandes says the referee was not to blame for his missed penalty kick against Fulham on Sunday.

Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage after impact substitute Emile Smith Rowe cancelled out an own goal from Rodrigo Muniz.

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Fernandes had the chance to put the Red Devils in front earlier, though, when Calvin Bassey was penalised for throwing Mason Mount to the ground in the box. Referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot after reviewing the incident at the monitor.

Kavanagh inadvertently bumped into Fernandes as he was preparing to take the penalty. The Portugal international look nonplussed and proceeded to send his attempt flying over the bar.

Bruno Fernandes refuses to blame referee for penalty miss

Asked if the collision with the referee put him off, Fernandes told BBC Sport: “No, as like everyone you have your own routine.

“I was preparing myself to get the penalty. That put me a little bit off my nerves but it’s not because of that why I missed the penalty. I missed because I kicked the ball very bad.”

Fernandes told Sky Sports he was displeased with the lack of an apology from the referee. “It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise. That is what triggered me in that moment but that’s not the excuse for missing the penalty.”

United manager Ruben Amorim concurred, telling Sky Sports he did not think Kavanagh had any effect on the outcome of the penalty.

“No, I think he’s not used to missing a penalty,” he said. “He knows that every moment in this context can have a huge impact on the team.

“I felt that during the game he was not so happy, not so involved, because he had so much responsibility and he felt the missed penalty was huge for us.”

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Bassey called the original penalty decision “harsh”, arguing that he was simply too strong for Mount.

“I still think it’s harsh,” the Fulham defender told Sky Sports. “I understand why it’s given. I’m trying to stay strong because I know the block’s coming, and then I’ve pulled him over my foot.

“But the ref has got to protect us as well. I’m strong, so it looks a bit more aggressive. If it’s someone stronger [than Mount], I don’t think it looks as bad.

“It’s hard. Sometimes, when you feel the contact early, you go down and the ref can give you a foul.

“When you’re in the game and the ball’s there to be one, sometimes you’re trying to get to the ball as quickly as possible and you’ve got to get the man out the way.

“There’s a fine line between giving a foul away and getting away with it. On another day, maybe the ref doesn’t look at it. We as players just have to try to be clever.

“I tried to communicate with the ref because I knew the block was coming. I told him, on every corner, ‘watch the blocks, watch the blocks’, but he made his decision.

“It’s something to learn, just be a bit more streetwise and smart with it.”

On Fernandes’ penalty miss, Bassey said: “I’d say it was justice! I didn’t think it was a pen. It was a bit of relief.”

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