Bruno Fernandes insists that the rule of punishing players with a yellow card for taking their shirt off during goal celebrations “needs to be revised” after Manchester United jersey winger Amad Diallo’s sending off for a second caution after scoring a late winning goal against Liverpool in their FA Cup quarterfinal.
The 21-year-old had come on in the 85th minute when United were trailing, but Antony made it 2-2 with three minutes left and Erik ten Hag’s side won the game in extra time, with Amad scoring in the 121st minute to send them through.
As part of the wild celebrations, Amad removed his shirt and was shown his second yellow card by referee John Brooks. Fernandes praised the winger for his goal and said that players should be allowed to show emotion after scoring.
“He got his reward because he does the right things,” Fernandes said of the Ivorian. “He deserves it. Unfortunately he was sent off, but it’s part of the moment and part of being young.
“This moment has to be enjoyed and I think that’s one of the rules that football has to change because you have to be able to celebrate the goal, obviously with respect to other clubs, to enjoy your moment.”
The Manchester United captain, who towards the end played as a deep-lying midfielder in front of the back three, at times dropping in to help Harry Maguire in defense almost as an extra center-half, added that the dramatic win meant the Ten Hags team could still finish the season on a high.
“Today the game was a bit more spicy, a bit more special because it’s an FA Cup game and if you lose, you’re out. We know the rivalry between the fans, we know how the United fans wanted us to win the game to give us something to celebrate because it hasn’t been good for us.
“We’ve talked about turning things around [before], but we’ve never taken the next step. But I think we have to understand that the FA Cup is one thing and the Premier League is another. In the league we now have 10 games left and we’re not relying on ourselves, but as we saw Tottenham Hotspur jersee drop points to Fulham, Villa drop points to West Ham. But our main goal is not to drop points away to Brentford. We have to put our efforts into winning that game.”
United face Coventry in their semi-final after the Championship side beat Wolves away in an even more dramatic quarter-final on Saturday. Mark Robins’ side were 2-1 down in extra-time but won after goals from Ellis Simms and Haji Wright, the latter in the 100th minute.
Fernandes warned against any complacency in the semi-final. “We are playing against a Championship team and not a Premier League team, but Wolves went out against them,” he said. “We don’t want to compare ourselves to Wolves, but we have to respect every team that comes here because I remember two seasons ago we played Middlesbrough away from home.
“We have to show respect for them, recognize that they deserve respect, and deliver our best performance, just like against Liverpool, with the same attitude.”
Bruno Fernandes has suggested changing the rules on yellow cards for players who take their shirts off during goal celebrations, citing the sacking of Amad Diallo jersey as an example. Diallo was sent off, but Fernandez praised his performance and explained that players need to express their emotions after scoring. Let your emotions come out. The phrase was irresistible during United’s dramatic victory in the FA Cup quarter-final and Fernandes stressed the importance of seizing chances and staying focused, especially when they face the Test in the semi-final. Wen Chui time. He warned against complacency and stressed the need to respect all opponents, regardless of their league status, and to learn from experience.