Bruno Fernandes admitted he was 'upset' by an accidental nudge from the referee before he missed his penalty in Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Fulham.
United were forced to settle for a laboured point at Craven Cottage on Sunday, extending their winless start to the new campaign, after Emile Smith Rowe's 73rd-minute strike cancelled out an own goal from Rodrigo Muniz.
Ruben Amorim's side flew out of the blocks and squandered several golden chances in the first half, none more glaring than Fernandes' dire attempt from the spot after Calvin Bassey was adjudged to have wrestled Mason Mount to the floor.
Following a lengthy VAR check that lasted almost five minutes, referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot and announced the decision aloud to the crowd.
Fernandes, usually unerring from 12 yards, stepped up to take the penalty but was bumped into by the official while he left the box, angering the United captain.
Throwing his arms in the air, Fernandes confronted Kavanagh and failed to keep his cool when he took the penalty, blasting the ball high over the crossbar and into the stand. He later confirmed he had indeed been distracted by the bizarre incident.
'Yeah, I was upset,' Fernandes told Sky Sports. 'Obviously, as every penalty taker, you have your own routines, you have your own things that you do.
'That was because the referee didn't apologise, and that was what triggered me in the moment. But that's not the excuse for missing the penalty.
'I just had a bad hit on the ball. I took my foot too under the ball, and that's why the ball ended up going over the bar.'
Post-match, Amorim refused to be drawn into the debate over whether the referee was partially at fault for the costly miss, adding: 'He knows the importance that every moment in this context can have a huge impact on the team.
'And I felt that during the game, he was like, not so happy, not so involved, because he has so much responsibility. I think he felt that missed penalty, it was huge for us.'
Gary Neville delivered his verdict on the nudge during the game, saying on Sky Sports: 'The referee gives him a little bit of a bump by accident, unnerving him maybe. Fernandes then has a go at the referee for being a bit clumsy.
'Maybe that's what put him off?'
However, supporters quickly took to social media to slam Fernandes, claiming he should have done better despite the distraction.
One posted on X: 'Completely pathetic from Bruno Fernandes. Was he actually trying to get the referee to book himself for accidentally bumping into him? Crying like a little baby before skying his peno. Generation of absolute soft lads ruining football.'
Another wrote: 'If Bruno Fernandes had concentrated on taking the penalty rather than whining because the referee brushed against him? He might have scored. Petulant child. Pathetic!'
A third added: 'Gary Neville can't blame the referee for Bruno Fernandes taking a penalty with a 9 iron.'
Fernandes and Kavanagh have clashed before, with the referee controversially sending him off against Tottenham last season – a red card that was later overturned.