Keane says Fernandes was 'the violent one' before Foden's red card at Old Trafford

Roy Keane has accused Bruno Fernandes of being the instigator of the incident that led to Phil Foden’s straight red card during the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, insisting the United captain deserved a booking of his own for kicking Foden while he was on the turf.

Foden was dismissed in the 23rd minute by referee Michael Oliver after kicking out at Fernandes and catching him in the lower abdomen, sending the Portuguese midfielder to the ground. Replays showed, however, that Fernandes had appeared to swipe at Foden near the far touchline moments earlier as the City forward sat on the turf — a challenge that went unpunished.

Speaking at half-time, Keane was unequivocal in his assessment. “Bruno tackles him, fouls him, gives him a little boot on the floor, reacts and he’s now sent off,” he said. “Bruno catches him, Foden sent off — I guess it’s classed as violent, and to me, Bruno is the one who was violent.”

Keane drew a parallel with a previous incident involving Kyle Walker, suggesting that players in the same union tend to protect one another. “We see violent differently,” he added. “I don’t think that’s a red card for Foden. Foden is daft here but so is Bruno. If Bruno got sent off, we’d be saying it was daft, a bit silly. Bruno has got to do better there — it’s a big game, you’ve got to look after the opposition players as well.”

Foden was left visibly stunned by Oliver’s decision, while Fernandes escaped without any punishment despite the replays appearing to show the initial provocation. Keane’s verdict puts pressure on the officials and raises questions about whether the full sequence of events was properly assessed before the red card was produced.