Manchester City won the derby, but the story from Old Trafford is about the player who was not on the pitch after the 23rd minute. Phil Foden’s straight red for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes has triggered a three-match domestic suspension covering every competition, and the games he loses are three of City’s most sensitive fixtures of the autumn.
Foden, 26, will sit out the Carabao Cup meeting with Norwich City on 17 September, the visit of Sunderland to the Etihad on 20 September, and the trip to face Liverpool at Anfield on 11 October. He is only eligible to return for the Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain on 14 October.
The dismissal came in the 23rd minute of Sunday’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford. Fernandes had tackled Foden and left a boot on him as he lay on the ground. Foden got up and aimed a studs-up kick toward Fernandes’ midsection, and referee Michael Oliver walked straight over with a red card.
VAR called it a “clear red”
The Premier League’s Match Centre published the referee-VAR exchange. Oliver’s call was blunt.
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“Red card Phil Foden, kick out into the body of Bruno.”
VAR confirmed the decision on review.
“That looks like a clear red card to me. Looks to be a secondary movement.”
Keane and Richards blame Fernandes too
Roy Keane, working for Sky Sports, argued that the tone had been set before Foden lifted his boot.
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“Bruno goes in, tackles him, clearly fouls him and gives him a little boot on the floor. Foden gets up, does react, and he’s now sent off,” Keane said.
“I don’t think that’s a red card for Foden, I really don’t.”
Micah Richards was sharper on Fernandes’ role.
“Foden didn’t react. If he had started screaming on the floor, then Bruno Fernandes would have been sent off,” Richards told Sky Sports.
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“I don’t agree with Foden’s response, but it’s Fernandes who started it.”
Gary Neville was surprised Fernandes escaped any sanction for the initial kick.
Guardiola agrees Fernandes should have walked
City manager Pep Guardiola did not defend his player.
“I think Phil Foden’s red card is a red card, but I also think that in the same action it’s a red card for Bruno Fernandes,” Guardiola said after the match.
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Erling Haaland’s 60th-minute goal kept the winning margin intact.
Foden has been given a three-match ban for violent conduct, the type of sanction a club can only overturn by arguing that the sending-off itself was wrong rather than by disputing what the player actually did. City have not confirmed whether they will pursue an appeal, and Sports Mole reported there is still room to lodge one.
Foden’s earliest return is scheduled for the Champions League home tie with Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad on 14 October.
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