“He should be angry at himself” - Chris Sutton slams ‘woeful’ Manchester United star after Bournemouth defeat 

Chris Sutton slammed Bruno Fernandes after his late booking in Manchester United's 3-0 league defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday (9 December).

The Cherries outplayed the hosts at Old Trafford, securing their first-ever win at the stadium. Manchester United barely threatened Bournemouth and the result was decided after Marcos Senesi's goal in the 73rd minute, which made it 3-0.

The Red Devils played out the remainder of the game knowing they had next to no chance of taking anything away from the game. Fernandes, seemingly in a moment of frustration, lashed out at the referee in the 84th minute and was subsequently booked for his actions.

The booking means Fernandes will miss the Red Devils' next league game, which is a daunting away trip to Anfield against Liverpool on 17 December. Commenting on the Portugal international's booking, Sutton told BBC (h/t Metro):

"Bruno Fernandes ranting and frothing at the mouth but the referee Peter Bankes not taking any nonsense, that’s the way it should be. You can understand the frustration but maybe he should be angry at himself. Maybe he is angry at himself because some of him passing in the second half has been woeful."

Fernandes has been booked 39 times in 207 appearances for Manchester United since joining them in January 2020. A fair few of them have come as a result of arguing with the officials.

The 29-year-old was installed as the club's captain in the summer after the armband was stripped off Harry Maguire. The former hasn't been at his creative best this season, recording just three goals and as many assists in 16 league matches.

---

Pundit says 3-0 scoreline flattered Manchester United against Bournemouth

Chris Sutton went as far as to say that a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth flattered Manchester United given the hosts' underwhelming display.

Dominic Solanke gave them a lead in the fifth minute and struck the post later in the first half. Goals from Phillip Billing and Marcos Senesi sealed a famous win for the Cherries in Manchester.

Bournemouth thought they made it 4-0 after Dango Ouattara scored in second-half stoppage time. However, VAR ruled out the goal for offside. Analyzing the game, Sutton said, via the aforementioned source:

"You strip everything back, the performances haven’t been there. They’ve been a fortunate Manchester United this season. They’ve beaten sides in the bottom half of the table, up against another side from the bottom half of the table today. Let’s get it right, 3-0 flatters Manchester United, this could be five."

Bournemouth only had 30% of the ball and half the shots recorded by Manchester United but they made good use of the ball. The Cherries found the target with four attempts, which was one more than what the Red Devils managed.