Bruno Fernandes questioned how Premier League rules are enforced after Manchester United’s 2-1 home defeat to Leeds United, a result that tightened the race for Champions League qualification while adding another controversial red card to United’s recent disciplinary record.

United stay third in the Premier League table despite the loss, sitting level on points with Aston Villa and holding a three-point advantage over Liverpool. Fernandes stressed that the setback does not alter United’s overall target of securing a Champions League place through a top-four finish.

“It doesn’t change anything that we want to achieve, added the United captain. We know that our aim is to stay in the top four. It’s in our hands, we have to win our games, if we do that we’ll be in the position we want to be in at the end of the season.”

Leeds’ victory at Old Trafford was the club’s first league away win against Manchester United since February 1981. Noah Okafor struck twice before half-time to put the visitors in control, and although Casemiro replied with a 69th-minute header from a Bruno Fernandes cross, United could not rescue a point.

The match turned when Lisandro Martinez received a red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, leaving United with ten players. It was United’s sixth dismissal in the Premier League since the beginning of last season, with only Chelsea collecting more red cards in that period, having been shown nine.

Harry Maguire had already been sent off in United’s previous league game against Bournemouth, adding to concern about discipline. Fernandes argued that decisions differ between teams and was booked for dissent during the second half after repeatedly challenging the referee over fouls and yellow cards awarded during the match.

“I’m not talking about the referee, Fernandes told Sky Sports after the loss. If I talk about the referee I’m going to get in very big trouble because the rules are applied differently for everyone. You can see it also in the yellow cards. It’s better that I don’t say anything.”

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The statistical contribution from Fernandes remains strong despite the defeat. Fernandes has 25 goal involvements in the Premier League this season, with eight goals and 17 assists. No United player has hit that mark since Fernandes reached 30 in the 2020-21 campaign, while Wayne Rooney is the only player to do it in more seasons, with five.

That Opta figure underlines Fernandes’ link with Casemiro, as no other Premier League player has supplied more than three assists for a single teammate this season. Those numbers highlight Fernandes’ influence in Manchester United’s attack, even as recent results and red cards leave pressure on the remaining league fixtures.