Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has criticised
Bruno Fernandes for going down too easily to win the free-kick that produced
Manchester United’s opening goal in Sunday’s derby.
The Red Devils beat their rivals for the third time this
season thanks to a 2-0 win at Old Trafford, with Anthony Martial latching onto
Fernandes’ inventive free-kick in the first half to give the hosts the lead.
Scott McTominay wrapped up the points in stoppage time, but Gundogan was unhappy with Fernandes for the opening goal and felt he made a meal of the challenge.
He told reporters after the game: ‘There was frustration
about the free-kick before the goal – it was not at all a foul.
‘I just touched the ball and he [Fernandes] goes on the
floor, shouting. I don’t even know if the referee saw it or just had a feeling
that it was a foul.
‘That was very disappointing for me, to be honest because I
was involved in the action and conceding the goal straight afterwards hurt very
much.
‘We tried hard after conceding the first one but it just
wasn’t enough.’
On how goalkeeper Ederson reacted to the mistake that let McTominay
score late on, Gundogan added: ‘He’s angry, disappointed and frustrated, but
it’s always about how you [react]. He has all of our support and I’m sure he
will do much better in the next games.’
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, meanwhile, was full of praise
for Fernandes, saying: ‘He has everything I spoke about: he works hard, he’s
humble enough, he’s got the desire and the commitment but he’s also got the X
factor.
‘He’s a risk taker, he’s got courage, he’s brave enough to
make mistakes and if you make enough mistakes they’ll be corrected into
fantastic assists or goals.’
MORE: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals how many players Man Utd are away from being title challengers
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