Referee Chris Kavanagh has received backlash for the red card shown to Bruno Fernandes – but he has not always been on the wrong side of the Manchester United fanbase.
United star Fernandes was sent off for a perceived high tackle on Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison in Sunday’s 3-0 hammering. While it was clear the skipper had slipped and caught the midfielder with his ankle, Kavanagh was not asked by VAR to review his decision. Erik ten Hag’s side were already 1-0 down when Fernandes was dismissed on the 42nd minute, and Spurs added another two goals after the half-time break.
The referee’s call has since been overturned after a successful appeal, meaning the Portugal international will be available for United’s next league game away at Aston Villa on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Premier League decided Kavanagh will remain on duty this weekend. The official was the obvious subject of boos at Old Trafford on Sunday, though his record shows that he has previously made some huge calls that went in United’s favour.
Kavanagh has officiated 16 United games during his career, with the club winning nine, drawing three and losing four. He has also awarded five penalties to United – most notably, the infamous spot kick against Brighton that was given after the final whistle had been blown, which ultimately sealed a 3-2 win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team in September 2020.
Fernandes’ red card was the first one Kavanagh had given to a United player while showing three to opposition players, including reducing Fulham to nine men during a memorable FA Cup tie in 2023. However, the referee came under scrutiny earlier this season after showing Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice a controversial second yellow for kicking the ball away before a free-kick for Brighton.
Upon hearing the outcome of Fernandes’ appeal, United fans were quick to react on X. One supporter said: “The whole VAR team and Chris Kavanagh should be embarrassed because they’ve been made to look like absolute fools.” A second added: “Chris Kavanagh deserves some punishment for bad referring… Huge mistakes every week, costing teams points.”
“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,” a third fan asked. While a fourth simply posed the question: “PGMOL, surely Kavanagh gets demoted to the Championship this weekend?”
Despite United fans’ protestations, Kavanagh has been appointed the VAR official for Everton vs Newcastle on Saturday before being the man in the middle for Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday ahead of the October international break.
In the aftermath of the red card, Fernandes revealed that Maddison agreed he should not have been sent off. However, United legend Gary Neville felt that United fans were wrongly directing their ire at Kavanagh, describing the team’s performance as one of the lowest points in Ten Hag’s tenure.
“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 on Sky Sports. “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.”