Manchester United are a step closer to the Champions League after beating Chelsea on Saturday night but Bruno Fernandes was left unhappy with an incident late on in the match
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes reacted with fury over a potential missed red card during Saturday’s 1-0 win at Chelsea. Michael Carrick’s side have taken a huge leap towards Champions League qualification after Matheus Cunha’s first-half goal secured all three points at Stamford Bridge.
The Reds are now 10 points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea, who sit just one place below the final qualification spot for Europe’s elite competition. It means Carrick’s team need a maximum of six more points from their remaining five games to qualify for the Champions League – a competition they have been absent from since 2023.
But Fernandes was far from happy with referee Michael Oliver during United’s win in west London. The Portuguese midfielder showed his displeasure after Blues player Romeo Lavia appeared to step on him after he was fouled.
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If Oliver had deemed that Lavia did stamp on Fernandes, then the Chelsea midfielder would almost certainly have been shown a red card for violent conduct. Instead, no card was shown.
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The incident is unlikely to dampen United’s mood, however. The Reds have been transformed since interim head coach Carrick succeeded Ruben Amorim in January.
Carrick’s men have lost just twice all year in the league and look almost certain to seal a spot in the Champions League after a season out of Europe. Fernandes is not getting carried away though.
Speaking to TNT Sports after Saturday’s win, he said: “It’s an amazing feeling for us, we had to bounce back, not just about Leeds, we had two games that we didn’t win.
“We knew we had to make a great performance because Chelsea are good side. It’s important for us because our aim is to be top four, making distance is perfect for us.
“I feel three points closer [to Champions League qualification], we have another game that we have to win. We know we need points to get that place secured and we will do everything possible to be as quick as possible.”
Fernandes is also now just two assists shy of the Premier League assist record. The 31-year-old has five games left to at least equal the 20 assists set by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne.
He added: “I say every time I want to do better than the season before. I want to improve my game overall.
“I need to improve every week because I want to become a better player and end my career as the best as possible.”
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