Too reliant on Fernandes?published at 17:32 BST 14 September
17:32 BST 14 September
Simon Stone Manchester United reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Bruno Fernandes won the PFA and Football Writers' Player of the Year awards last season for an outstanding campaign when he scored nine goals and claimed a Premier League record 22 assists.
So far this season, he has scored three times and has one assist. The goals record is good, but the assists are not. More importantly, his overall impact seems to have dipped.
Some observers felt he looked tired against Manchester City, which only heightened questions around his involvement against Azerbaijan champions Sabah FK in the Champions League.
Despite their lowly ranking, it was understandable why Michael Carrick would take no chances with his team selection as United returned to Europe's elite competition after a two-year absence.
However, with his side three goals up at the break and knowing there was a three-day turnaround to the City game, it was puzzling why Carrick elected to leave his skipper on the pitch for the full 90 minutes as he chose to use all five substitutes.
Now into the final year of his contract, which United have the option to extend to the summer of 2028, a continued over-reliance on Fernandes is a concern.
'No danger' from United's attacks through the middlepublished at 14:17 BST 14 September
14:17 BST 14 September
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick should play forward Benjamin Sesko as his side are offering "no danger" through the middle, says former Premier League striker Charlie Austin.
Matheus Cunha started in the striker position with Bruno Fernandes behind him and Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Rashford on the wings on Sunday. However, his side were largely blunt in the 1-0 derby defeat by rivals Manchester City, despite playing against 10 men for almost 70 minutes, and register a lower xG (expected goals) than their opponents.
Sesko was eventually introduced midway through the second half but could not turn the tie around.
"I don't think we should allow VAR and those moments to overshadow the fact that Manchester United were poor," Austin told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.
"They don't play with a number nine. They had 10 versus 11 and didn't have a number nine. Cunha is not a nine, he is a 10 or he plays wide. He is never occupying the two centre backs or he drops in.
"There is no danger going forward for me for Manchester United through the middle.
"Down the middle, even if you don't like Sesko you are going to have to suck it up and play him. Then it's two of either Mbuemo, Cunha or Rashford, because I don't think you can play all three as none of them are number nines."
Asked whether Carrick is showing he does not trust Sesko, The Telegraph's Luke Edwards said: "There is a body of evidence building up that he doesn't fancy him from the start.
"They had one shot on target until midway through the second half and they were playing against 10 men. City's control of that game with 10 men should embarrass United. They weren't hurting them and they were also being passed through."
Man Utd fans' ownership protests intensifypublished at 13:39 BST 14 September
13:39 BST 14 September
Simon Stone Manchester United reporter
Image source, Getty Images
To be clear, Manchester United's fans have - to a greater or lesser degree - protested against the owners since the Glazer family landed £600m-worth of debt on to a previously debt-free club with their leveraged buy-out in 2005.
In their most recent accounts to 31 March, United had an overall debt of £1.3bn, including outstanding transfer fees.
Since then they have refinanced $425m (£314m) worth of bonds at a higher interest rate than they had been previously. They also took an additional $125m (£92.4m) but are yet to explain what the additional funds will be used for.
The club's current financial position will be revealed on 23 September when it publishes its full year accounts to 30 June 2026.
Ratcliffe's involvement promised to change the situation. Yet many fans argue that, if anything, things have got worse.
Ill feeling has spilled over since United launched a ticket-touting investigation in the summer.
Although they have admitted to underestimating the number of fans who shared their account details and toned down some of the threats around season ticket confiscation if supporters failed to respond as requested, United officials defended the investigation.
Last week, they revealed 685 fan accounts had been banned, with a further 464 either sanctioned or warned.
However, United added that "468 cases were resolved after supporters responded with the relevant information. No further action was taken, as the information provided satisfactorily explained the activity identified".
Huge numbers with flares gathered outside the ground, heeding a call from the 1958 Group, before making their way through the Munich tunnel under the stadium.
It was noticeable many songs were sung in direct protest against Ratcliffe, as well as the Glazers.
"We wanted the Glazers out and that will never change," said Steve Compton of the the 1958 Group.
"Ratcliffe came in and gave us a glimmer, but his idea of putting Manchester back in Man Utd couldn't be any further from the truth.
There were boos from the home fans at the final whistle, although it was not entirely clear whether the reaction was triggered by their team's performance or the officials over the controversial offside call that confirmed Erling Haaland's second-half winner should stand.
Since Berrada spoke to staff, United have delivered their worst starts in three decades. Many United supporters feel an overall transfer spend of £148m this summer was not enough after Carrick's mid-season arrival led to an improvement that secured a third-place finish.
"I definitely appreciate the supporters," said Carrick.
"We want to try everything to make them happy. They're everything for this football club. I never take them for granted. I speak about that quite a lot, and it means a lot to me.
"I'm feeling for them today on the back of losing the game. We haven't got as many points as we would have liked at this point, for sure. There's no getting away from that."
'Just a flick' or 'violent'? Debating Foden's red cardpublished at 12:45 BST 14 September
12:45 BST 14 September
Jess Anderson BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
The disputed Erling Haaland goal came after a first half laced with controversy, with Phil Foden shown a straight red for kicking out at midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Manchester City midfielder Foden picked up the ball wide on the right-hand side in his own half and was closed down by Fernandes, who tripped him.
Foden then kicked out at the body of the Manchester United captain while on the ground and was shown a straight red card by the referee.
Replays showed that Fernandes kicked Foden in the back first, before the City man retaliated.
The incident was checked by the VAR, who confirmed the on-field decision; Fernandes was not shown a card.
Pundits were divided on whether Foden should have seen red and whether Fernandes was the man at fault.
Former United forward Wayne Rooney did not believe it was a red, saying "it was more of a flick or a gesture, than a kick out".
Ex-United defender Gary Neville said he was "surprised" Fernandes did not receive a booking for his role while former Old Trafford midfielder Roy Keane said the fault lay with the Portuguese.
"Foden gets up and reacts obviously, so he's sent off," he said. "Fernandes catches him and gives him a little kick. I guess it's classed as violent. But Fernandes is the one who is violent here - I don't think Foden should have a red card."
Dale Johnson, BBC Sport football issues correspondent, said: "The referee and VAR would have to deem it violent conduct rather than just petulance from Fernandes.
"The guidance changed some years ago to factor that in, so David Beckham's kick on Diego Simeone in the 1998 World Cup would not result in a sending off today.
"It looked to me like there was little to no contact from Fernandes, and if there was it was limited force and wasn't followed through.
"So Bruno's act would be seen as a yellow card offence, which the VAR obviously can't get involved in."
Watch ex-Premier League midfielder Danny Murphy and Rooney debate the sending off on Match of the Day below...
Adrian: I just think United lack some real talent. It feels like we are getting left behind. This indifferent performance seems to be the norm nowadays. I think United need a summit at the very least to discuss the club in totality. I think Sir Alex Ferguson would be ideal to head up it up. City are now where United should be.
Ruso: Time's up for Carrick. At this rate United will not even finish in the top 10. Must stop playing Cunha as a striker. Sesko provides much more danger in the box than Cunha.
Mark: Not sure what is going on at United - proven striker who does not start games and an attacking left-sided player at left-back. While I think Carrick can turn things around, he needs to push to get proper cover at left-back if Amass is not ready and trust his only out-and-out striker to start. The only bright sparks seem to come from Lammens, Mainoo and Mbeumo. The less said about the never-ending list of mistakes by VAR, the better. VAR is not fit for purpose, in my opinion.
Simon: The awful decision to allow the goal to stand aside, this latest poor performance and loss showed the biggest United flaw - attitude. As soon as the red card was issued, I knew the game was going to be tougher. We didn't press and we didn't force mistakes. We had no hunger, no desire to show up our biggest rivals and no-one on the bench capable of changing the game. What has Manchester United come to when winning against Sabah is the highlight of the week?
Man City fans
David: A statement win for us. The battling spirit, control and resilience of the 10 who stayed on the pitch was awesome, but it was telling that we improved after Foden went off. Ridiculous reaction to the Fernandes kick. I won't be upset to see him go if the club decides he's had his chance. The contrast between his behaviour and the rest of the team was stark. That said, the officiating of that game was a joke - how Fernandes stayed on the pitch is beyond me and the goal was very marginal. But, a great step forward - in Enzo we trust!
Doug: City are still learning off each other and the new system, but they rode their luck and fought well. Probably a double red. Red for Fernandes for the bad tackle and kick, then Foden shouldn't retaliate. Pleased with the resilience and a team-bonding win.
Brian: What a result and how good does this feel for the team and fans? Derby matches are always competitive and this lived up to all expectations. City proved that this squad can only get better with each game. They have passion, belief, skill and determination. It was not easy and everyone played their part when going down to 10 men. I watched this in Majorca and it felt great to sing Blue Moon on a fabulous Sunday evening. City are very much back in business.
Sajid: If this was a Guardiola team then United would have won it. This Maresca team is more robust in defence and will not concede many goals. Gone are the days of fully fledged attacking and possession domination by City.
Analysis: A clear VAR mistakepublished at 09:08 BST 14 September
09:08 BST 14 September
Dale Johnson Football issues correspondent
Image source, Getty Images
The curiosity about this incident is that the goal was initially disallowed for the wrong reason. Erling Haaland was flagged offside when he shouldn't have been.
But as it turned out, the goal should have been ruled out because Enzo Fernandez was offside.
There is one key part of the offside law which applies to Fernandez here. A player is offside if they are:
"Clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent."
Both parts of that clause must be met. It is possible for a player in an offside position to attempt to play a ball and not commit an offence – there must be impact on an opponent too.
As the ball came in, Fernandez threw himself to try to head it, with Lisandro Martinez directly behind him.
Video assistant referee Matt Donohue should ask himself if Fernandez's action would have influenced Martinez.
In other words: If Fernandez had not jumped for the attempted header, would Martinez have made a different decision over playing the ball?
If the ball had been out of reach for Fernandez, or for Martinez, then there is an argument to give the goal.
And also: There would have been no offside had Fernandez made no attempt to play the ball.
But he did. And as it went just a yard in front of Martinez too, it is very difficult to argue Fernandez did not commit an offside offence.
There is also an argument that the actions of Fernandez influence the positioning of goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
However, the goal was originally ruled out for offside against Haaland - which was incorrect. So that decision had to be overturned.
And then, the VAR should have sent referee Michael Oliver to the monitor for the subjective offence by Fernandez.
It would have created the odd situation where a disallowed goal was reviewed to remain ruled out - but this is what should have happened.
It was a clear offside offence by Fernandez and will go down as a VAR mistake.
Was the VAR too concerned with a possible touch by Fernandez?
If so, did the VAR forget that Fernandez was offside, and not consider the subjective offence? It seems to be the most logical explanation.
A similar thing happened in a game between Arsenal and Brentford in February 2023 when a goal by an offside Christian Norgaard was not disallowed.
Getting goal decision so wrong is 'baffling' - Rooneypublished at 08:19 BST 14 September
08:19 BST 14 September
This content isn't available anymore.
There was an error
Match of the Day pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy find it "baffling" that Erling Haaland's winning goal in the Manchester derby was not ruled out by VAR, but think Phil Foden's red card was the correct decision.
Gossip: Man Utd face competition for Pagepublished at 07:14 BST 14 September
07:14 BST 14 September
Borussia Dortmund have joined Manchester United in showing interest in Leicester City midfielder Louis Page, with the German club sending scouts to watch the 18-year-old. (Teamtalk), external
Juventus are not prepared to sell 26-year-old Pierre Kalulu in the January transfer window, with Manchester United and Liverpool both linked with a possible move for the France defender. (Manchester Evening News), external
Man Utd 'all a bit toothless' - Rooneypublished at 19:39 BST 13 September
19:39 BST 13 September
Image source, Getty Images
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, speaking to BBC Sport: "I thought Manchester United were the better team and dominated Manchester City up until half-time, but they gave away too many free-kicks and allowed the game to be slowed down which suited City perfectly.
"Once City got their goal they managed the game brilliantly and United just couldn't find enough quality, especially in the final third.
"Erling Haaland's goal should not have stood - it was offside - but as soon as City went ahead they used all their nous and game management to frustrate United. They restricted them to pretty much one chance and didn't look in any danger at all.
"United are already eight points behind City and Michael Carrick will be disappointed with how they've started, there's no doubt about that. There have been some good moments but one win from four league matches tells its own story.
"When the transfer window closed, I felt United still needed better players - to not only to provide competition for places and cover across all competitions, but to come on in games and provide that extra quality and change games.
"You were just waiting for someone to be brought on and make an impact, but you looked at the bench and there weren't many attacking threats to call on. It was all a bit toothless."
Man Utd 0-1 Man City: What Carrick saidpublished at 19:21 BST 13 September
19:21 BST 13 September
Media caption,
Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, speaking to BBC Match of the Day, was furious with the decision to allow Erling Haaland's goal:
"The decision for the goal is absolutely huge, I'm absolutely baffled by the decision," said Carrick. "If that's how the rules are interpreted in terms of affecting the game or impacting the action and throwing yourself at the ball six yards from goal - it was an awful decision, I have to say.
"I thought we were doing well, coming out of the second half we were looking like we were building momentum, Kobbie [Mainoo] hits the post. It is just a huge decision. How many layers do we put behind officials, screens, people in offices, and they come up with that, it's really worrying.
"I thought we had some really good spells. The goal has a major impact and the decision has a major impact. We could've create more, it is not easy when they defend the box."
Did you know?
This was the first time Manchester United generated less than 1.0 xG in a Premier League home game under Michael Carrick (0.95).
United managed just two shots on target after Phil Foden's 23rd minute red card. They did hit the woodwork twice for the second Manchester derby in a row however - something that they had only done in two of the prior 44 meetings.
50 teams have received a red card as the visiting team at Old Trafford in the Premier League, but only two have won: Everton in November 2025 (13th minute, won 1-0) and Manchester City today (23rd minute, won 1-0).
Man Utd 0-1 Man City: How the players ratedpublished at 19:01 BST 13 September
19:01 BST 13 September
Man Utd starting XI:
Senne Lammens: Not as busy as he might have expected to be. Absolutely vital save from Fernandez to prevent City second. 7
Diogo Dalot: If only he had been able to control Bruno Fernandes' chipped pass into the penalty area he might have marked his 250th Manchester United appearance with a rare goal. Didn't look down the line to see he was clearly offside as United pressed just before half-time. Screwed shot wide after break. 4
Harry Maguire: Decent performance from veteran central defender and not far away from an equaliser with late header. Needless push on Enzo Fernandez in the box, for which he was booked. 6
Lisandro Martinez: Didn't dive in when Bruno Fernandes played a pass towards his own goal straight to Erling Haaland and won the ball from the Norwegian. Decent effort. 7
Patrick Dorgu: Replaced Luke Shaw at left back in the starting 11 and did OK but doesn't have the same link with Rashford. Attempted block proved so crucial to City's opener. 6
Kobbie Mainoo: Another assured display in front of England boss Thomas Tuchel. Came close to giving his side the lead just after half-time and was home side's most effective midfielder. 8
Youri Tielemans (off 66, Sesko): Best performance of the season so far but yet to make the standout contribution expected. 7
Bryan Mbeumo: Probably United's most-effective attacking player. Header just wide before injury-time effort saved. 8
Bruno Fernandes: Fortunate to get away with no sanction at all over the incident that led to Foden's dismissal. Not one of his better efforts 6
Marcus Rashford (off 83, Zirkzee): Curling long-range free-kick against the post with Donnarumma beaten and shot into side-netting but still waiting for first goal since his return. 6
Matheus Cunha: Preferred to Benjamin Sesko in starting line-up and dragged early shot wide. Got involved on plenty of occasions, but again by dropping deep. Off target with a second-half opportunity. 7
Subs:
Benjamin Sesko (on 66, Tielemans): Brought on to make an impact and tried his luck from distance soon afterwards. 6
Joshua Zirkzee (on 83, Rashford) 6
Subs not used: Darlow, Mazraoui, Mount, Yoro, Santos, Heaven, Lacey.
After gaining a man advantage, they first hit the post in the 45th minute through Marcus Rashford's dipping free-kick.
They then struck the woodwork again in the 50th minute through Kobbie Mainoo's curling effort from range which bounced off the post and hit the back of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma but landed safely for the Italian to gather.
United's only other major chance came right at the end when Bruno Fernandes found Bryan Mbeumo in the area and his sharp shot was palmed behind by Donnarumma.
Otherwise United looked laboured going forward against 10 men, especially after City took the lead.
The Red Devils finished last season well but have started this campaign poorly, winning just one Premier League match and conceding in every league game.
Image source, Getty Images
