After scoring Manchester United’s winning goal against Arsenal, the Brazilian risks a ban after an outburst which was captured on TV cameras.
Manchester United were on the back foot from the opening stages as Arsenal asserted their authority, allowing their visitors only fleeting spells in possession. The pressure eventually paid off just before the half-hour, with Lisandro Martínez diverting the ball into his own net.
The goal proved to be a turning point for Michael Carrick’s side. Bryan Mbeumo threatened an instant reply but was undone by a poor first touch, before making amends seven minutes later by latching onto a stray back pass from Martin Zubimendi and coolly rounding David Raya to bring United level.
United carried that renewed confidence into the second half and completed the comeback five minutes after the restart, Patrick Dorgu unleashing a superb strike to give his side the lead.
Arsenal thought they had snatched a point through a late, untidy equaliser from a corner, only for substitute Matheus Cunha to settle the contest. The Brazilian rifled home a fine winner in the 87th minute to cap a dramatic United victory.
Cunha at risk of being banned for two games
Cunha scored a brilliant goal to secure all three points for United, and as he sprinted over to celebrate with all the travelling fans, the Brazilian grabbed the camera, shouting something down the lens, which, while unclear, did include explicit language, which was captured on TV.
Peter Drury, who was covering the game for Sky Sports, was forced to apologise for the outburst, saying, “If you heard some bad language in among the celebrations, for that we apologise.”
According to FA rules, “offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures” will result in a player being sent off. The rules also state that they have the power to take retroactive disciplinary action if the incident is caught on camera and broadcast to a wide audience.
Cunha would not be the first United player hit with a ban for misconduct. In 2011, Wayne Rooney was given a two-match ban after similarly swearing down the camera at West Ham.
A costly and avoidable mistake
Interestingly, it appears that Cunha has already responded to the claims that he swore during the celebrations after calls for a ban were made.
The Brazilian posted on Instagram after the game with the caption, “The freaking biggest.” He will be claiming that he said ‘freaking’ rather than an explicit like many thought.
Whether or not he will escape any trouble remains to be seen but the Reds do have solid depth in the forward line under Carrick.
United will be going into the game against Fulham next Sunday brimming with confidence and fans will hope that they can keep winning games.
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