Politics
Bruno Fernandes missed penalty for Man Utd against Aston Villa due to pressure from Cristiano Ronaldo, claims Sherwood
CRISTIANO RONALDO’S presence ‘100%’ caused Bruno Fernandes to miss a shocking penalty for Manchester United.
That is according to Tim Sherwood, who claimed the pressure of being under Ronaldo’s gaze distracted Fernandes for the crucial spotkick against Aston Villa.
GettyBruno Fernandes stepped up to take the spotkick against Aston Villa[/caption]
GettyTim Sherwood said Fernandes’ time as penalty taker is probably now up[/caption]
Debate has raged over which of the Portuguese stars should be on penalty duties at Old Trafford since Ronaldo made his blockbuster return last month.
But faced with a penalty at 1-0 down against Villa with just seconds to go, Fernandes could only send his shot over the bar.
Asked on Sky Sports about the chances of Fernandes taking any more penalties, former Spurs boss Sherwood said: “Very little I would say.
“He threw the ball to Ronaldo in an international game and Ronaldo missed one so he’s done him a favour there.
“Listen, he doesn’t miss that. You’ve never, ever seen him blast the ball over the crossbar.
“He always waits for the goalkeeper to go down and rolls it in the other corner.
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“It’s the pressure now of someone else. The main man is here. Ronaldo (being) there 100% is distorting his thinking there.
“He knows he’s got one chance and one chance only and I think we’ve just seen it go by.”
Villa claimed the three points at Old Trafford via Kortney Hause’s brilliant header in the 88th minute.
The defender nearly undid his fine work when he handled in the box for United’s penalty just minutes later.
But with Fernandes sending the ball clear over the crossbar, Hause was let off and Villa claimed their first victory over the Red Devils since 2009.
