Chris Kavanagh’s Man Utd record as Prem make decision after Bruno Fernandes controversy

Chris Kavanagh has come under fire for the red card he dished out to Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes on Sunday. The Premier League referee was the target of boos at Old Trafford but has previously been on United fans’ good side.

Despite replays showing that the United talisman had slipped and accidentally hit the midfielder with his ankle, Kavanagh wasn’t asked to reconsider his decision. The red card has since been reversed following a successful appeal, meaning Fernandes is eligible to play United’s next league match against Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Premier League has decided that Kavanagh will continue to officiate this weekend, despite being the target of boos at Old Trafford. However, his record shows that he has previously made significant decisions that benefited United.

Kavanagh has refereed 16 United matches throughout his career, with the club winning nine, drawing three, and losing four. He has also awarded five penalties to United; most notably, the controversial penalty against Brighton that was given after the final whistle, which ultimately secured a 3-2 victory for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in September 2020.

Fernandes’ dismissal marked the first red card Kavanagh has issued to a United player, contrasting with the three he’s shown to their opponents, including sending off two Fulham players in the FA Cup clash that led Aleksandar Mitrovic to receive an eight-game ban. However, the Fernandes incident is the second time that Kavanagh has come under the spotlight this season, following Declan Rice’s contentious second yellow for kicking the ball away in Arsenal’s clash with Brighton.

United fans didn’t hold back on social media following the verdict on Fernandes’ appeal. One fan wrote: “The whole VAR team and Chris Kavanagh should be embarrassed because they’ve been made to look like absolute fools.” Another chimed in: “Chris Kavanagh deserves some punishment for bad referring… Huge mistakes every week, costing teams points.”

A third supporter said: “So PGMOL, when will Bruno Fernandes receive his formal apology from Chris Kavanagh after we won the appeal? The red card reversed and rightly so.” Meanwhile, another asked: “PGMOL, surely Kavanagh gets demoted to the Championship this weekend?”.

Despite the outcry from United followers, Kavanagh is slated to serve as the VAR for Everton vs Newcastle on Saturday, before taking centre stage for Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday, just before the October international break. Yet, United icon Gary Neville argued that the fans’ frustration should not have been aimed at the referee, but at the team’s dismal display.

“Brilliant for Tottenham – and we should say that first. For Manchester United, they are booing the ref, but that is not even half the story,” Neville said. “In the first half they have put in their worst performance.

“The big story was that first half it was not from nowhere but they have chosen to put in their very worst performance. It was a disgusting performance in effort and quality and a lot of questions to answer from that group in the next week.”