Brentford's tactics before Bruno Fernandes missed the penalty kick

Following the 1-3 loss against Brentford in Premier League Round 7, Manchester United supporters showed strong outrage at Bruno Fernandes’ missed penalty after an extended wait of about 5 minutes.

According to accusations from Red Devils fans, Brentford deliberately “wasted time” during substitutions, while referee Craig Pawson was criticized for poor management, allowing Fernandes to lose his psychological rhythm before the crucial shot.

At the 71st minute, Bryan Mbeumo was fouled by Nathan Collins inside the penalty area while breaking through one-on-one with the goalkeeper. VAR immediately reviewed the incident to consider a red card for Collins for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. However, after 4 minutes of review, referee Pawson maintained the yellow card decision, reasoning that Mbeumo had “not fully controlled the ball.”

The issue was not only with the decision but also what happened immediately afterward. When Manchester United players and Bruno Fernandes were ready to take the penalty, Brentford’s coach Keith Andrews immediately requested a substitution. Rico Henry and Keane Lewis-Potter entered the field, replacing Aaron Hickey and Dango Ouattara respectively.

In total, from the moment Mbeumo was fouled until Bruno took the shot, nearly 5 minutes passed. During this time, the match was completely interrupted, and Bruno had to stand waiting repeatedly near the penalty area.

When given the chance, Bruno Fernandes struck the ball weakly, allowing goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to easily dive to his left and make the save. This moment became the turning point where Man Utd lost the chance to equalize 2-2. Immediately, social media exploded with countless angry comments from Red Devils fans. They accused Brentford of “deliberately disrupting the rhythm” and blamed referee Pawson for allowing it:

“Brentford making substitutions to force Bruno to wait 5 minutes before the penalty is a farce, completely unacceptable.”

“It took 4 minutes from the whistle to the kick! Penalties should be taken immediately; substitutions or VAR can be dealt with afterward..”

“Bruno did shoot poorly, but allowing Brentford to make substitutions right before the penalty is the referee’s fault..”

“What kind of football is this?!”

“Allowing substitutions to break the player’s focus is terrible; who can keep their head after waiting 5 minutes?”

“Brentford clearly time-wasting and the referee is complicit..”

Coach Ruben Amorim didn’t even dare to watch Bruno’s shot, while criticism continued to spread after the match. Many fans believe that without the unusually long delay, Bruno would have been fully capable of scoring.