Manchester United suffered their second straight defeat, when Aston Villa managed to come out of Old Trafford with a 1-0 win. A late goal from the visitors was enough to hand them all three points on the day but there was further drama. The Red Devils were awarded a penalty in stoppage time and had the chance to equalise from the spot.
There has been some debate regarding who will take penalties for the club this season, with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes in the team.
On this occasion, it was Fernandes who stepped up to take it. And it must be said that his recent record from the spot is incredible. Thus, it was a massive surprise when he sent his kick flying over the crossbar.
Since then, Fernandes has broken his silence on social media. Following the defeat, he posted this message on his Twitter:
No excuses for my penalty miss today. I’m my biggest critic but as always I’ll use it to drive me forward. More than my disappointment though, the team’s loss today is the most important. I’ll be ready next time. pic.twitter.com/tTBgURne8B
— Bruno Fernandes (@B_Fernandes8) September 25, 2021
Who will take penalties for Manchester United moving forward?
Manchester United have two of the best penalty kick takers in world football right now in the form of Fernandes and Ronaldo. And it cannot be said that it was the wrong decision to let the Portuguese playmaker take the spot kick against Aston Villa.
He has been almost perfect from the penalty spot since joining Manchester United. Yes, on the day, he made a mistake. But that happens in football. It could have happened to anyone. Even Ronaldo missed a spot kick recently while representing the Portugal national team.
It will be interesting to see though who ends up taking the next penalty kick for Manchester United if both Fernandes and Ronaldo are on the pitch at that point of time. One does feel that it might end up depending on the situation.
If it is similar to today then Ronaldo might end up taking it but if it is a game that the Red Devils are already comfortably ahead in, Fernandes might get the opportunity to regain some confidence.