Premier League statement after controversial Manchester United incident - Erik ten Hag & Ashley Young respond

Manchester United’s tough start to the Premier League season went from bad to worse on Sunday afternoon as they were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

Brennan Johnson opened the scoring after just three minutes as he turned home from a couple of yards after defender Micky van de Ven’s brilliant run from deep before cutting the ball back from close to the byline to the unmarked Johnson. United created chances as they looked to respond to the early set-back but were then handed a blow in the final minutes of the second half when captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off by referee Chris Kavanagh for a high challenge on Spurs midfielder James Maddison.

During the match, the Premier League Match Centre - which provides information directly from the Match Centre, VAR Hub and PGMOL experts - explained the red card was for serious foul play. It stated: “The referee issued a red card to Fernandes for a challenge on Maddison. The VAR checked and confirmed the referee’s call of serious foul play.”

Spurs added goals in the second half through Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke to hand United their third defeat of the season and their second 3-0 home loss, after they were beaten by the same scoreline against Liverpool before the international break. Reflecting on the decision to send Fernandes off, manager Erik ten Hag said: “I don’t think it’s a red card. We had big chances [before it] and it’s only 1-0 so we could make a comeback. It had a big impact on the game.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp and ex-United man Ashley Young both agreed with Ten Hag that Fernandes did not deserve to be sent off. Redknapp said first in the Sky Sports studio: “No [it’s not a red card]. He slips, as he comes in to try and win the challenge you can see that his feet go under him. It’s petty, it’s a bit petulant. One angle looks damning but on the other you can see that his feet go under him and he sticks out his right leg. I think it is a yellow card.”

Young, who joined United from Aston Villa in 2011 before returning to the midlands club in 2020, said: “I don’t think it is serious foul play or reckless. Yes, he is out of control but he slips and you can clearly see that. I don’t even think he goes to take out Maddison. I think the referee has got it wrong.”

On his sending-off, Fernandes said: “Apart from slipping going in, I don’t take him as everyone wants to see it. I don’t go with the studs, I take him with my ankle. It’s a clear foul but never a red card. That’s my feeling. Even Maddison, when he gets up, you can see in the image… he just said, ‘It’s a foul but it’s never a red card’. That’s what he said. I think in the eyes of everyone, you can see that is never a red card because if this is a red card I think we have to look at many other incidents. I had many incidents when I get kicked and everything, and I’ve never seen something so quick coming off as a red card. I just think it’s never a red card.”