Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has demanded an apology from referee Chris Kavanagh, claiming an on-pitch incident directly led to his crucial penalty miss in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese midfielder missed a golden opportunity to give United the lead in the 38th minute, blasting his spot-kick over the crossbar. Fernandes revealed after the match that he was left “upset” because referee Chris Kavanagh accidentally brushed into him just before the attempt, unsettling his preparation.

Fernandes: "The Referee Didn't Apologise"

Speaking to Sky Sports, Fernandes did not use the incident as an excuse for the miss but explained his frustration.

“I was upset. As a penalty-taker, you have your own routines, your own things that you do,” Fernandes said. “It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise. That is what triggered me in that moment, but that’s not the excuse for missing the penalty. I had a very bad hit on the ball. I put my foot too under the ball and that’s why it ended up going over the bar.”

Amorim Downplays Referee Influence

Despite Fernandes’ claims, United manager Ruben Amorim downplayed the referee’s role in the miss, suggesting his captain was simply unaccustomed to failure from the spot.

“No, I think he’s not used to missing a penalty,” Amorim stated. “He knows that every moment in this context can have a huge impact on the team. I felt during the game he was not so happy, not so involved, because he had so much responsibility and he felt the missed penalty was huge for us.”

Smith Rowe Denies United Victory

The missed penalty proved costly. Although an own goal from Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz put United ahead in the second half, substitute Emile Smith Rowe equalized for the visitors within two minutes of coming on. The result means Manchester United, who lost their opener to Arsenal, have collected just one point from their first two Premier League games and remain winless this season.

The incident and Fernandes' strong comments are sure to dominate post-match discussions, adding more pressure on United as they search for their first win.