Wayne Rooney condemns Bruno Fernandes as United overturn Roma deficit

Man Utd turned a 2‑0 half‑time deficit into a 3‑2 win at Old Trafford after scoring three times in just 28 minutes, a comeback that prompted pundit Wayne Rooney – on Amazon Prime – to lambast captain Bruno Fernandes for his role in the opening goal. The former England striker was on punditry duty for the match.

Pre‑match pressure and first‑half woes

Man Utd entered Tuesday’s clash with AS Roma after a dire nine‑game winless run, making the fixture a crucial test for the Red Devils. Roma, the Serie A giants, surged ahead to a 2‑0 lead in the first half and could have extended it further, leaving United trailing at the break.

Rooney observed, “Roma took the ball and were more aggressive, no one on the United team put a tackle in. They were really struggling down the left‑hand side.” He added, “You just want to see something, some sort of fight and passion and desire to win the football game but there was nothing.”

Rooney’s split verdict after the comeback

United responded after the interval, netting three goals in 28 minutes to clinch a 3‑2 victory at Old Trafford, a turnaround that revived the Red Devils’ fortunes. The match took place at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United.

Rooney hit out at captain Bruno Fernandes for his role in the opening goal, saying, “Yeah, there’s been a lot of those lately but yeah, it did.” He continued, “You’re in the Champions League and with all the talk and criticism the team have got, you were expecting some sort of reaction. There was nothing, absolutely nothing.”

He said, “For the first goal, if you’re playing in a system, when Dalot goes higher, Bruno should go into that position. He has to run back, you’re the captain of the football club, run back and take responsibility.” He stressed, “You’re a team and you need to play as a team. If a teammate is out of position, even if you don’t want to be there or run back, you have to run back.”

Rooney expressed sympathy, “I feel so sorry for the fans because they don’t know what to do. They’ve not been in this position for years, they don’t know whether to get behind the team or to get on their backs.” He added, “The team have just run out of ideas. There’s no confidence or belief, the team is shot to bits.”

After the win, Rooney praised the second half, stating, “The second‑half was amazing, they were front‑footed and they deserved to win the game in the end.” He contrasted, “The first half was terrible but we saw the passion and fight we wanted in the second half. The crowd got right behind the team and you felt like they could go on to win the game.”

He noted, “Bruno Fernandes has shown a bit of passion in defending himself on what he thought was right, but more importantly we have seen that passion and fight on the pitch because the first half was terrible.” He concluded, “No passion, no tackling, no getting to the ball, no aggression, and the complete opposite of the second half. And when that happens in the second half, you see the crowd get behind the team and you felt like they were going to win the game.”