Premier League releases statement on Bruno Fernandes red card as Man Utd left furious

Bruno Fernandes was sent off against Tottenham after being judged to have committed serious foul play, despite slipping as he tackled James Maddison. The Manchester United captain was dismissed in the team's dismal defeat to Tottenham.

Maddison was bringing the ball forward from his own half when Manchester skipper Fernandes went to tackle him. As he did so, the midfielder slipped, though he did bring his leg up to clash with Maddison's knee.

Referee Chris Kavanagh issued a straight red card, which VAR Peter Bankes confirmed as being the correct call. Fernandes and his United team-mates were left furious though and surrounded Kavanagh to protest.

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The United skipper eventually did leave the pitch and head down the tunnel, with his team going on to be smashed 3-0. And soon after Fernandes left the pitch, the Premier League Match Center revealed why the midfielder had seen red.

It said in a statement: "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."

According to the FA's rulebook, serious foul play is defined as being: "A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play. Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play."

Following Fernandes' red card, legendary United captain Gary Neville slammed the midfielder. He insisted that despite the slip, Fernandes could have no argument with being sent off.

“It just sums up Manchester United in this first half, to be fair they’ve been an absolute disgrace. It’s one of the worst performances I’ve seen in Erik ten Hag’s time at Manchester United and that’s saying something," he told Sky Sports. "It’s been really bad. And he will not be able to believe what he’s watched. I’m not talking patterns of play, I’m talking application to a football match. And now, his captain sent off.

"When players react like that, it means something has gone on that we haven't seen initially. He's gone knee-high Bruno Fernandes. I think he slips just before the tackle but he's not going to get away with it."

Not everyone agreed with Neville though, as former Spurs star Jamie Redknapp insisted it was the wrong call. Redknapp suggested a yellow card would have been a more appropriate punishment.

He told Sky Sports: "He slips as he comes in to try to win the challenge. It’s petty, it was a bit petulant. He sticks out his right leg. When you actually see it in slow motion, his feet go under him and he just sticks out his leg, I think it’s a yellow card."