09 December 2023 , 17:50
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Manchester United will be without Bruno Fernandes when they play Liverpool after their captain was booked in the shocking defeat by Bournemouth.
United were thrashed 3-0 at Old Trafford by the Cherries on Saturday afternoon as the win over Chelsea was quickly forgotten. Erik ten Hag’s side were booed off the pitch following a dreadful display, which could have been even worse had Bournemouth not had two goals ruled out.
Goals from Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi piled the pressure on Ten Hag, who now has huge games against Bayern Munich and Liverpool next week. The trip to Anfield next Saturday will be made harder by the absence of Fernandes, who was needlessly booked in the second half.
Fernandes showed petulance not befitting of a club captain, receiving a yellow card for arguing with referee Peter Bankes in the closing stages. It was his fifth booking of the season and therefore incurs a one-match ban in the Premier League.
“Bruno Fernandes ranting and frothing at the mouth but the referee Peter Bankes not taking any nonsense, that's the way it should be,” Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “You can understand the frustration but maybe he should be angry at himself. Maybe he is angry at himself because some of his passing in the second half has been woeful.”
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Gary Neville summed things up with a simple tweet after the full-time whistle: “Consistently inconsistent! An abysmal result.” Bournemouth were fantastic and good value for their win, which is their first away against Manchester United in Premier League history.
Bruno Fernandes will miss the trip to Liverpool (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)United’s dreadful form this season is shown by the fact that the Cherries are the third side to win 3-0 at Old Trafford across all competitions this season. “This is Manchester United in their own backyard being schooled, with respect, by Bournemouth,” Sutton added.
“Bournemouth are on a good run but quite frankly it's not been good enough in any way shape or form. It's not a Manchester United team who have peppered Neto's goal. Neto has had an afternoon off essentially. Bournemouth have looked the better organised, more athletic, more energy. They've carried a threat not good enough from Manchester United and Erik ten Hag this afternoon.”
Fernandes will be available to play against Bayern at Old Trafford on Tuesday, when Ten Hag desperately needs a result. United are bottom of Group A, needing to win and hope Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw in their match, to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Bournemouth striker Solanke hailed it as one of the best in the club’s history. "At the moment we feel like we can beat anyone and that showed today,” he told Premier League Productions.
“I think just composure really. The stadium is magnificent. It's easy to probably get intimidated here but we kept our heads. We were confident on the ball kept playing and attacked when we could and kept pressing through the whole game. We are just delighted to get the result.”