'Bruno Fernandes is a cheat!' - Former England striker slams Man Utd captain and claims derby defeat to Man City was 'karma' for Phil Foden's red card

The Manchester derby at Old Trafford was ignited by a flashpoint between Fernandes and Foden that saw the Man City star sent off. The United captain appeared to foul Foden twice while he was on the ground, but it was Foden’s subsequent reaction that drew the red card.

"At the end of the day, Bruno Fernandes is a cheat," Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT. "He’s an outstanding player, but he’s a cheat. You’ve kicked Foden twice on the floor, which should have been a red card to you. Then Foden’s lashed out a tiny little bit and you’re rolling around when you’re not hurt. A proper referee goes over and says, 'You two, cut it out'. A yellow each, play on. It’s never a red card."

Despite playing against ten men for the vast majority of the contest, United fell to a 1-0 defeat courtesy of an Erling Haaland goal. The strike was shrouded in controversy as Enzo Fernandez appeared to be offside in the build-up, a decision VAR eventually upheld despite the linesman's flag.

"That’s why you get your karma," Agbonlahor continued. "Maybe the goal that should’ve been disallowed on Haaland, is the karma you sometimes get in football for the red card to Phil Foden."

Agbonlahor also took aim at United’s performance, arguing that Michael Carrick’s side failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage. He pointed out that several key players failed to meet the required standards for such a high-stakes fixture. The pundit was particularly critical of the team's defensive structure and their inability to take the game to City despite Foden being sent to the dressing room early in the match.

"You lost the game because Fernandes didn’t turn up, [Matheus] Cunha didn’t turn up, [Bryan] Mbeumo didn’t turn up," he continued. "[Diogo] Dalot was horrendous at right-back, [Patrick] Dorgu is not a left-back. You lost the game because when you went up a man, for 70 minutes, you decided to sit back. You decided not go to go for it.

"How can Manchester City be the better team with 10 men? You lost the game for different reasons. You didn’t turn up, the occasion got to a lot of the players, not because of the goal that shouldn’t have been given."

Agbonlahor was not the only high-profile figure to question the officiating during the derby. Manchester United legend Roy Keane, appearing on Sky Sports, also expressed his disbelief regarding the red card shown to Foden. Keane suggested that if anyone was guilty of violent conduct in the initial altercation, it was the United captain rather than the City winger, who he believes was unfairly punished for a minor reaction.

"Foden gets up and reacts obviously so he’s now sent off. The strange thing is, if you look at it, so Bruno catches him, gives the foul away and gives him a little kick," Keane explained during his post-match analysis. "Foden is sent off and I’m guessing it’s classed as violent conduct. To me, Bruno is the one who’s violent here. I have to call it out."