Neville revealed the real reason why Bruno Fernandes missed the penalty

Gary Neville expressed his viewpoint following Bruno Fernandes' missed penalty during Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Fulham.

Manchester United traveled to Craven Cottage aiming to restore confidence after their opening Premier League defeat to Arsenal. The match was intense, with both teams creating clear chances. The turning point came when VAR ruled that Calvin Bassey fouled Mason Mount in the box, awarding Bruno Fernandes a penalty opportunity to open the scoring.

However, to the astonishment of the crowd, the Portuguese midfielder’s shot flew straight into the stands. This was especially surprising given Fernandes' previously high conversion rate: 22 successful penalties and only 4 misses in the Premier League.

Commenting on the incident, Gary Neville suggested that the reason behind Bruno’s missed penalty was due to a subtle detail that many overlooked. He stated: “Just before taking the shot, referee Chris Kavanagh lightly collided with Fernandes. That distraction caused him to lose focus and his touch.”

However, many fans disagreed with this explanation. On social media, some sarcastically commented: “Another ‘objective’ comment from Gary Neville. Blaming the referee for Bruno’s miss is typical.” Another user wrote: “It’s hard to believe Sky and Neville are blaming the referee for this situation.”

Nevertheless, Manchester United did not have to wait long to score first. Young defender Leny Yoro accidentally deflected the ball towards Rodrigo Muniz, and the Fulham striker awkwardly scored an own goal. But the visitors’ joy was short-lived as Emile Smith-Rowe equalized for Fulham just 93 seconds after coming on, in the 73rd minute.

The match ended with an emotional scenario, and Fernandes’ missed chance will definitely be remembered as a highly debated moment.