- Bruno Fernandes scored for Man United against Arsenal with a direct free kick
- It later appeared that the Arsenal Wall had been supported at more than 10 meters
- Listen now: everything is launched! Is Alisson the best goalkeeper of the Premier League?
Mikel Arteta admitted that Bruno Fernandes was “ smart ” to enjoy the arsenal wall being more than a meter further than it was to be when he pulled Manchester United from a free kick.
Fernandes struck the injury time in the first half with an excellent strike that beat David Raya after Leandro Trossard was reserved for mistreating Alejandro Garnacho.
It appeared that referee Anthony Taylor had positioned the Arsenal players 11.2 meters from the ball instead of Regulation 10 Yards, and Fernandes used the additional distance to obtain his shot up and on the wall.
“Bruno was smarter than us,” said Arteta. “He was smarter than the referee, it’s okay, they allowed him to do so.
“He did it. It was a goal. Football is for Streetsmart players and if it did this and capitalized on it, it was smarter than us and the referee.
Declan Rice, who equalized in the second half, admitted that the Arsenal players could say that they were further from the ball than necessary.
Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes (left) marked against Arsenal with a soft free kick
Fernandes was able to be pulled on Gabriel and Mikel Merino in the wall of five arsenal men
It was later revealed that referee Anthony Taylor had pushed the arsenal wall to 11.2 yards
“It was as if the ball flew over us at a low height,” said Rice. “He felt far away. Anthony is the arbitrator, he makes this decision.
The plain midfielder, Christian Eriksen, could see the funny side, adding: “It helped the wall was about 15 meters, so it was just perfect for Bruno!
“You saw how far they were and that was beneficial to us. We felt a relief of stadium fans after the goal.
Arteta was frustrated that Arsenal dominated the game, but was always grateful to Raya for exceptional stops after having offered united opportunities.
“How we conceded (chances) at certain times was not acceptable,” he added. “We opened the door to lose the match. There was no chance to lose the match and we opened it ourselves. I will defend my players all the time, but in these moments, we must do better.
Before the match, thousands of United Fans protested the Glazer and Sir Jim Ratcliffe family for their club management and plans to increase ticket prices.
Head coach Ruben Amorim said: “This club will never die, which is clear. You feel it in the streets. It is a big company and perhaps all the fans of this league sometimes believe that it is more difficult to go to the games and to pay tickets.
