How Bruno Fernandes Reacted After Missing His First Penalty Since 2016

Bruno Fernandes certainly caused a few heads to turn when he failed to successfully convert a penalty when Manchester United faced Newcastle United on Sunday.

The Red Devils won the game 1-4 courtesy of goals from Harry Maguire, Fernandes, Aaron-Wan Bissaka, and Marcus Rashford.

However, when the Portuguese midfielder stepped up to take the all-important kick early on in the second-half, the scoreline was still level at 1-1.

A soft foul on Rashford inside the box had been deemed by VAR to be contact enough for a penalty. Fernandes had stepped up to take the kick having already had a goal from the first-half disallowed due to being offside in its creation.

As such, it was vital for the former Sporting man to bury this one at the back of the net-a feat he has become all too good at.

However, much to the shock of everyone involved, Newcastle’s goalkeeper Karl Darlow guessed right and was able to deflect the ball.

This was the first time that Fernandes had missed a penalty after joining Man United and it was also the first time he failed to do so since 2016 having enjoyed an enviable record.

Thus, when he was quizzed on the incident, his words were curt: “Congratulations to him (Darlow). He is the first goalkeeper in the Premier League to save a penalty from me.”

Good banter from the midfielder who would perhaps have been happier at scoring a goal from open play.

He also commented on the situation of the club, stating: “This is a big club and we know we have big pressure. We’re big players and we are okay with that. This team is together.”

Last season, United did seem to have tough luck in establishing a regular penalty-taker. Fernandes’ arrival amended that.

Now it will be interesting to see if this miss changes matters for the future.