Fabian Schar left Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes in a heap on Saturday night, and Garth Crooks believes the Newcastle United defender was lucky to avoid punishment.
The pair collided during the second half at St James’ Park, with Bruno Fernandes hitting the deck in pain after a challenge from the Newcastle centre-back.
It looked like there was nothing in it in real time, but replays showed that Fabian Schar had caught the Man United midfielder, and he had every reason to be on the floor. Still images of the incident made it look even worse, but that is always the case.
While some Man United fans may argue that Schar should have seen red, BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks does not believe the punishment should have been that severe. However, he does believe that the 31-year-old did get lucky to avoid even a yellow.
Crooks thinks ‘outstanding’ Fabian Schar got lucky against Man United
Crooks has included Schar in his Premier League team of the week, hailing the Swiss defender for his performance in his column for BBC Sport. However, he did also address the challenge on Fernandes.
“Watching Schar drive at the Manchester United defence with the ball at his feet was almost a throwback to the days of Philippe Albert during the Kevin Keegan era,” he wrote.
“The ensuing free-kick by Kieran Trippier left Andre Onana in the United goal rooted to the spot, only to be saved by the underside of the bar.
“Schar’s contribution to Newcastle’s victory cannot be underestimated. The Swiss international was outstanding and never gave Anthony Martial a kick. It was Schar who blocked the shot destined for the back of the net and resulted in Nick Pope dislocating his shoulder.
“Was he lucky not to get booked for the tackle on Bruno Fernandes? Probably, but referees are allowed to use their discretion in a contact sport.”
The Newcastle defender was amazing on Saturday night
Crooks’ assessment is probably fair. It should have been at least a yellow for Schar, who got away with one. I don’t think Fernandes even won a free kick!
But the incident had no impact on the outcome of the game anyway. Newcastle were completely dominant against Man United, bettering them in every department.
There were so many star performers in black and white, and Schar was right up there with the best.
He looked like he was really enjoying himself on Saturday night, marauding forward with ease time and time again. He danced past the limp Man United challenges, and it felt like we were going to witness another Schar wonder-strike.
That did not happen, but it was still another spectacular showing from a man who might be playing even better right now than he was last season.
As Crooks says, Schar was outstanding, and that block late in the game was out of this world. He puts his body on the line for Newcastle United, and it is why he is adored by the Toon Army.
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