Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag accused Nottingham Forest of targeting Bruno Fernandes in his side’s FA Cup win at the City Ground and branded criticism of his captain “pathetic”.
The Portugal midfielder overcame a “serious injury” to play his part in United’s 1-0 victory at Forest, setting up Casemiro’s 89th-minute winner from a free-kick.
He was on the receiving end of plenty of robust challenges from Forest throughout the 90 minutes while also being the butt of social media jokes after Saturday’s loss against Fulham where he suffered the problem.
Fulham’s official TikTok account poked fun at him for appearing to feign injury and it got Ten Hag’s back up.
We are the Red Devils !! Now into the #FACup quarter-finals!! pic.twitter.com/ZayBhassfh
— Casemiro (@Casemiro) February 28, 2024
Asked about the severity of Fernandes’ injury, he said: “I don’t want to go into that because you saw that Forest was targeting him, so I don’t tell what he has but it was a serious injury.
“There were many fouls on him. Maybe I am a little bit too tough but when he has the ball they were really tight on him.
“Then I see that serious media criticise him and social media is pathetic and it can’t be.
“He has a serious injury but he continued to play on Saturday and today he also fought to be part of the game and he has a very high pain threshold.
“Last year he did also something similar against Spurs and in the semi-final and it shows his leadership because that expresses his character and that is very good when you are a leader.”
This was far from a classic performance by United, who face Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, but they got the job done and kept hopes of finishing the season with a trophy in tact.
That is not going to be easy, though, as they were handed quarter-final draw against Liverpool at Old Trafford in two and a half weeks.
“There are many good teams in the Premier League, Liverpool at this moment is top but it is a great challenge and we are really looking forward and we like the challenges, it is a great game for us to play.
“But first of all we are now looking forward to Sunday.”
Extra time was looming when Casemiro glanced Fernandes’ delivery past Matt Turner to send United’s travelling contingent wild.
The goal survived a lengthy VAR check as Raphael Varane, who was in an offside possession, blocked a couple of Forest players, but he was ruled not to be interfering in play.
Such has been Forest’s frustration at refereeing decisions in recent weeks, they have appointed Mark Clattenburg to act as a conduit to the PGMOL and he was spotted sat next to Howard Webb.
A big tie awaits at Old Trafford 👊#MUFC || #FACup
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 28, 2024
And this was another decision that went against them but boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who swatted away Ten Hag’s suggestions of targeting Fernandes, did not want to dwell on it.
Nuno said: “I didn’t see clearly the images but speaking with the players they say it is a block and a possible offside. They checked it.
“We have had so many issues in this period with VAR and referees that we try to forget about it and move forward.
“I think it was a good performance, we played good, much better than the previous game, so improvement from that.
“It is frustrating to lose it in the end but I think we played good, football is cruel sometimes and today we are on that side.”
[(Shimizu S-Pulse) Weakness]: 1. Shimizu S-Pulse are 13th in the J1 League table. Facing 2nd-placed Kashima Antlers, they will find it hard to win this match due to their declining form, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Yuji Takahashi and forward Sena Saito will miss this league game due to injuries.3. Shimizu S-Pulse were winless with 2 draws and 3 losses in the last 5 g...
Liverpool table fresh Guehi bidAccording to The Athletic, Liverpool have submitted a fresh bid worth £35 million ($47m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The Reds had earlier seen two bids rejected by the Eagles, but they remain hopeful that this time the offer will be accepted.Fenerbahce eyeing move for EdersonTurkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are eyeing a move for out-of-favour Manc...
Roma medical for Liverpool fullback TsimikasAS Roma are holding a medical for Kostas Tsimikas today.The Liverpool fullback is leaving Anfield after finding himself third-choice this season behind fellow left-backs Andrew Robertson and Milos Kerkez.La Gazzetta dello Sport says the Greece international is expected in Italy today to finalise his move.Tsimikas will undergo a medical ahead of signing a...
FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-FULHAMMarco Silva has demanded an explanation from the Premier League after lambasting three "shocking" refereeing decisions in Fulham's 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.WHAT HAPPENED?The Whites thought they had taken the lead against their west London rivals Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was chalked off by referee Rob...
[(Shonan Bellmare) Strength]: 1. Shonan Bellmare are one of the bottom teams in the table, taking 25 points and being in the relegation zone. They are strongly motivated to grab points.[(Shonan Bellmare) Neutral]: 1. Shonan Bellmare drew the last 4 home games, revealing mediocre home performances.[(Shonan Bellmare) Weakness]: 1. Shonan Bellmare lost 1-0 to Fagiano Okayama on the road in the last g...
Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Chelsea have completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.WHAT HAPPENED?Garnacho has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal worth a fixed £40 million fee ($54m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause, Goal understands. The 21-year-old ha...
Marc Guehi Crystal Palace 2025-26Liverpool have launched a fresh bid for Marc Guehi as they hope that Crystal Palace will finally accept their proposal and agree to sell their star defender before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The Reds have been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer and the champions are determined to secure his signature.WHAT HAPPEN...
West Ham United v Lille OSC - Pre-Season FriendlyAston Villa are close to signing West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta on an initial loan with an obligation to buy next summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Villa are on the brink of agreeing a £47 million (€54m/$63m) package for Paqueta which includes a loan fee and add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. The report also states the 28-year-old has ac...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus currently have only 28 points and are near the bottom of the league table. To avoid relegation, they need to earn points.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya Grampus' 7 successive games ended with OVER.[(Nagoya Grampus) Weakness]: 1. Nagoya Grampus lost 2-4 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last Emperor's Cup game, with poor performance.2. In the lates...
Cody Gakpo Liverpool 2025Premier League champions Liverpool have confirmed that star attacker Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract, which has extended his stay at Anfield beyond 2028. The Dutchman who joined the club in January 2023, during the Jurgen Klopp era, has established himself as a regular starter under new boss Arne Slot and has now committed his future to the Reds...
