Aleksandar Mitrovic’s sending off against Manchester United has been spotlighted on social media after fans compared it to Bruno Fernandes’ antics against Liverpool.
The 28-year-old Fulham striker fired his side into a shock second-half lead in the FA Cup quarter-finals against United on Sunday at Old Trafford.
However, Fulham suffered a major collapse late in the second half after referee Chris Kavanagh showed three red cards in under one minute.
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Willian was sent off after a VAR check ruled that he had cleared Jadon Sancho’s shot off the line with his arm before Mitrovic was dismissed from the pitch by Kavanagh.
Mitrovic was spotted barging into the match official during a heated confrontation, with Fulham manager Marco Silva also shown a red card by Kavanagh.
United punched their ticket to the FA Cup semi-finals after securing a 3-1 win over Fulham, with Fernandes scoring a brace and Marcel Sabitzer adding his name to the scoresheet.
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However, the Red Devils’ comeback win has been somewhat overshadowed by the late -- and messy -- scenes at Old Trafford, which included Mitrovic’s behaviour towards Kavanagh.
While Mitrovic has been met with criticism on social media, others were quick to point out the double standards when compared with Fernandes’ actions of the past.
Fernandes was met with widespread criticism over his antics in United’s humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool, including where he appeared to push the referee’s assistant.
Former Aston Villa striker Darren Bent ruthlessly slammed the double standards and drew a comparison between the “inconsistent” and “embarrassing” decisions.
“Bruno gets nothing for pushing a linesman [vs Liverpool] but Mitrovic gets a straight red for bumping the ref, inconsistent VAR Embarrassing [sic],” he tweeted.
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Bent isn’t alone in his hot take and other fans on social media shared similar sentiments to the talkSPORT pundit in the Mitrovic vs Fernandes debate.
One Twitter user wrote: “Mitrovic was ridiculous there. But his push on the ref was no less than Bruno Fernandes on the linesman the other week. Where’s the consistency?”
Another tweeted: “Mitrovic is a clear red. He can’t push a ref but Bruno did at Anfield and wasn’t punished.”
“Just seen the Mitrovic red card. Pretty sure Bruno Fernandes got away with doing the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago,” a third posted.
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Another fan said: “Crazy thing about [the] Mitrovic red card is that Bruno Fernandes would’ve been suspended if he got the same decision against us, which he didn’t and scored. The standard of officiating in the PL is a joke.”
While a fifth commented: “Well done to the referee for sending off Mitrovic. Disgraceful to raise your hands to an official. Bruno Fernandes should have got the same punishment for shoving the linesman v Liverpool a few weeks ago.”
And one fan added: “So stupid from Mitrovic - you just can’t push an official (unless you’re Bruno Fernandes).”
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Topics: Fulham, Manchester United, FA Cup, England, Football, Bruno Fernandes
Adnan Riaz