Dermot Gallagher explains why Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off in the FA Cup for pushing a referee, while Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes wasn’t for a similar incident in the Premier League against Liverpool.
The ex-referee has had his say on comparisons between both incidents…
Fulham fans were left furious when Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off against Manchester United, highlighting that Bruno Fernandes escaped punishment for a similar incident when the Red Devils played Liverpool weeks ago.
But ex-referee Dermot Gallagher has said that the two incidents were very different.
The Cottagers travelled to Old Trafford for the FA Cup quarter-final tie, and impressively took the lead against their northern opponents when Mitrovic scored in the second-half.
But in the space of five minutes, the game was turned on its head – Willian was sent off for a handball on the line before Mitrovic went from hero to villain when he was also shown a red card by referee Chris Kavanagh for pushing the match official.
That left Fulham fans livid, and comparisons have since been made to when Bruno Fernandes pushed a the linesman when United lost 7-0 at Anfield.
But Gallagher believes that there is no comparison to make and that Mitrovic deserved his punishment.
Mitrovic sending off justified – but why wasn’t Fernandes?
The call to send Mitrovic off has been the main talking point from the game, but many fans and pundits believe the referee was within his rights to send the Serbian off.
Former England striker Chris Sutton was one of those and believes that the Fulham striker should receive a significant punishment.
“You do not lay your hands on an official,” Sutton said via BBC 5 Live. “In my opinion, the player should get a 10-match ban.”
Chris Sutton believes Aleksandar Mitrovic should receive a 10-game ban 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/SAgT8nKZf9
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 20, 2023
But the main argument has been why Mitrovic was sent off for his push on the referee, while Bruno Fernandes escaped despite being involved in a similar incident.
Losing by five goals in the 80th minute and clearly frustrated at Anfield, Fernandes pushed the linesman while trying to get the ball back.
“Bruno gets nothing for pushing a linesman but Mitrovic gets a straight red for bumping the ref, inconsistent VAR Embarrassing,” former Tottenham striker and talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent said on Twitter.
Bruno gets nothing for pushing a linesman but mitrovic gets a straight red for bumping the ref , inconsistent VAR Embarrassing
— Darren Bent (@DarrenBent) March 19, 2023
Dermot Gallagher says Fernandes and Mitrovic incidents were very different
But on Monday morning ex-referee Dermot Gallagher weighed in with his own view, saying he does not condone Fernandes’ actions, but that it was a yellow card at most.
“I said at the time I don’t condone what Fernandes did,” said Gallagher. “I don’t think it’s wise to touch a match official.
“I don’t think that’s violent and I don’t think that’s aggressive, I think that’s petulant and he could have easily got a yellow card for that and I think people would have accepted that.
“I still don’t think it’s a red card offence, but I do think yesterday’s is.”
Gallagher disagreed when asked if Fernandes set a precedent moving forward by escaping punishment, but added that the two incidents were very different.
“I think they’re two totally divorced situations in how the player is towards an official,” he said.
“Neither player should have done what they did, but I think one player has gone far too far.”
What next for Mitrovic, Fulham, and United?
Fulham will be without their frontman for at least three games following his straight red card, but Gallagher went on to say that the FA could decide to increase that ban after reviewing the footage.
Red card suspensions do carry over from other competitions, so that means Mitrovic will miss Fulham’s next three games at the very least.
Those matches against relegation-threatened Bournemouth, West Ham and Everton are vital for Fulham as they continue to push up the table, and Mitrovic’s absence could come back to bite them.
Meanwhile, United will resume their Premier League campaign on April 2nd when they travel north to face Newcastle United, with both teams pushing for a spot in the Champions League next season.
Fewer touches than De Gea: ETH must sell MUFC flop who was struggling badly against Fulham
Manchester United secured their second visit to Wembley in just one season, as Erik ten Hag’s men squeezed past a resolute Fulham who went into complete meltdown as they closed in on victory.
Despite boasting more of the ball and far more shots than their visitors, it was the Cottagers who stole the lead through Aleksandar Mitrovic as he powered home a left-footed strike to send the away fans into raptures.
With about 15 minutes left to play, it seemed as though they might record a famous FA Cup victory to continue their impressive season, but a moment of madness saw Willian first sent off for a ‘professional handball’ before the Serbian goalscorer was dismissed for contesting the decision and then manager Marco Silva was also given his marching orders.
Bruno Fernandes would convert a penalty just three minutes later before Marcel Sabitzer all but confirmed their place in the semi-finals with his strike.
In just five minutes this matchup was completely flipped, but the Red Devils were lucky that Silva’s side went into such a meltdown.
favour, as midfielder Scott McTominay would find out. Indeed, the Scot disappointed in the centre of the park before his substitution.
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Having been handed one of few starts this campaign, it was expected that the 26-year-old would perform as if his place in the squad depended on it. With the absence of Casemiro, it was particularly important that he step up, not only to benefit the team but to convince Ten Hag that he could be far more than a squad player.
However, his partnership with goalscorer Sabitzer unsurprisingly marked a huge gulf in class from what the Manchester club have become accustomed to of late, with journalist Chris McKenna noting how they were “struggling to deal with” the visitors.
This was outlined through McTominay’s 29 touches all game, of which goalkeeper David De Gea recorded more (31). He struggled to gain a foothold in the engine room and losing this battle was exactly what afforded Fulham the respect they needed to go on and take the lead.
Billed as a defensive-minded asset, he even lacked in this department where he recorded zero tackles, interceptions or blocks all game (via Sofascore). This was paired with just an 84% pass accuracy too.
With his future in doubt, as the quality around him only grows, the midfield dud failed in his big opportunity to stake his claim and prove his worth. Instead, he only solidified himself as someone who should be sold as soon as Ten Hag gets the chance.
It’s clear that the Scotland international simply cannot be trusted and as the club’s quality begins to grow, casualties will be found. McTominay will likely be chief among them.