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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has slammed Bruno Fernandes and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for their role in the lead-up to Liverpool’s late penalty, which ultimately earned the Mersysiders a late equaliser at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United and Liverpool played out a 2-2 draw.
Jurgen Klopp’s men took the lead via Luis Diaz, who found some space inside the box to guide it into the back of Andre Onana’s net. Just moments after the break, Fernandes drew United level. The skipper capitalised on a massive error from Jarell Quansah to produce a stunning long-range effort from 40 yards out.
Kobbie Mainoo then sent the Red Devils to dreamland when he received a pass from Wan-Bissaka before expertly turning inside the box and burying the ball into the upper-right corner. United were headed for a win until Wan-Bissaka was judged to have illegally brought down Harvey Elliott in the danger area.
Referee Anthony Taylor awarded the penalty and Mohamed Salah made no mistake from the spot kick to ensure both sides shared the spoils.
Speaking on Premier League Productions (via The Mirror), Rooney took issue with the sequence of defending that resulted in the penalty for Liverpool.
In particular, Rooney pinpointed Fernandes and Wan-Bissaka as the two players who were at fault.
United’s record goalscorer said, “When you go back a bit, Bruno Fernandes is too easy to get past when Joe Gomez is taking his run down the line.”
“Bruno dives in and lets him get past, which is why Aaron Wan-Bissaka then has to come out. If he stays on his feet you don’t get to this situation.”
“But it’s very poor from Wan-Bissaka. It’s sloppy. When you go to ground like that, you run the risk of giving a penalty away.”
Rooney’s criticism of the pair may however be too harsh considering that both stars played a huge part in putting a significant dent in Liverpool’s title hopes. Fernandes did well in the middle of the park, especially in the second half and capped his display with a goal-of-the-season contender. Wan-Bissaka also registered an assist for Mainoo’s goal that gave United a temporary lead against the Anfield outfit.
There has also been some disapproval of Anthony Taylor’s decision to punish United and give Liverpool the penalty after replays showed there was very little contact between Wan-Bissaka and Elliott.
Nevertheless, Ten Hag and his players are unlikely to dwell on it too much as all their focus shifts towards facing Bournemouth on Saturday.
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