Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United put Bruno Fernandes as the top penalty taker in danger of being replaced.
However, after the Red Devils had a rare penalty shot last weekend against AstonVilla, many were pleasantly surprised to see that it was still Fernandes who had the responsibility to seize the scoring opportunity.
However, frustratingly, Fernandes’ penalty attempt turned into a disaster as the ball went over the bar and passed them their first loss of the season.
It couldn’t have come at a worse time for them as they expected their run at the top of the English Premier League standings to continue.
Instead, they find themselves in fourth place because of goal difference with Chelsea, the No. 1 in the ranking, and Manchester City, third-seeded.
Conventional thinking would suggest that Ronaldo would be the one to take the penalty due to his stature as one of the best scorers from the penalty spot, but the data shows otherwise.
Fernandes and Ronaldo Penalty Chances Comparison Throughout their careers, Ronaldo has an 80 percent completion rate on 167 attempts, while Fernandes scored on 93 percent of his 46 penalty kicks.
It’s a relatively small sample size, but it gives the 27-year-old a factor of unpredictability that Ronaldo no longer has in his long career.
In 14 Premier League penalty attempts prior to Aston Villa’s game, Fernandes missed just one after Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow was able to save sutry from a penalty in a 4-1 win for Manchester United.
The decision that Fernandes still tries to convert from the penalty spot shows that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still has full confidence in his midfielder despite having Ronaldo.
After the game, Fernandes took to social media to acknowledge what happened.
“Nobody is more frustrated and disappointed than me for missing the penalty and consequent loss,” Fernandes wrote on his Instagram page.
“I have always assumed my responsibilities and I have always embraced them under pressure at times like this. Today I failed. But I took a step forward and faced the challenge with the same ambition and responsibility as when, on many other occasions, the ball ended up in the net. ”.
Manchester United fans and stars made sure to show their love and support for their greatest playmaker.
Fernandes and the Red Devils will next welcome Villareal at Old Trafford in a UEFA Champions League group stage match on Wednesday 29 September at 8:00 pm British Summer.Infobarcelona.cat Brief news.
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