Bruno Fernandes endured one of his toughest days as a Manchester United player against Aston Villa on Saturday.The Portuguese midfielder, who has been magnificent for the Red Devils following his £47 million move from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, spurned the opportunity to rescue a point for his team with a dramatic late penalty.Most United fans inside Old Trafford expected Cristiano Ronaldo to step up and take the spot-kick, but it was Bruno who took responsibility.Usually so reliable from the spot, the 27-year-old left thousands of heads in hands by blazing his penalty high over Emiliano Martinez’s crossbar.The final whistle was blown moments later as United slumped to their first Premier League defeat of the campaign.
Fernandes wrote an emotional statement on social media in the aftermath of the loss, telling fans: “Nobody is more frustrated and disappointed than me for missing the penalty and the consequent defeat.”It’s hard to see Bruno taking another penalty over the coming weeks if Ronaldo is on the pitch at the same time again.
MOTD2 mock Bruno Fernandes's penalty miss
The penalty miss - and, indeed, the other highlights from United vs Villa - were broadcast on BBC’s Match of the Day 2 on Sunday evening.
But viewers were left surprised when the ending of the show was dedicated to mocking Bruno’s failed spot-kick.
The show’s host said: “We leave you with the big question of the weekend: has anyone seen Bruno Fernandes’s ball? Goodnight.”
And this is what was broadcast:
Harsh? Funny? A bit of both?
Let’s check out what viewers on social media are saying:
Were MOTD 2 a bit out of line?
You can certainly understand why some people believe it was a bit out of line from MOTD 2.
Even the best players miss penalties from time to time and Bruno’s heartfelt statement shows how much the miss must have affected him.
While rival fans no doubt enjoyed it, you can see why it may have come across as a bit of a cheap shot.
However, Fernandes is such a model professional that you wouldn’t bet against him using this setback to spur him on from now until the end of the season.
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