- Bernardo Silva knocked Alejandro Garnacho down in the Community Shield
- Fans have criticised Silva’s tactics, saying his antics are “over the top”.
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Manchester United fans have criticised Man City’s Bernardo Silva for a late foul on Alejandro Garnacho and said the City midfielder has a way with over-the-top fouls.
Fans have taken to social media to criticise Silva for a harsh challenge on Garnacho during the Community Shield derby at Wembley on Saturday.
The Portuguese international appeared to have beaten the United player, even though the latter had already touched the ball.
Silva seemed to have eyes only for his man, sending the 20-year-old Argentine to the ground as he ran through him.
Fans on social media branded Silva’s tactics “disgraceful” and followed up with examples of other matches between the two clubs in which the midfielder committed similar fouls.
Bernardo Silva (centre) has been criticised for his “harsh” tackles on United players
Bernardo Silva is set to challenge Alejandro Garnacho during the Community Shield
But City’s Silva apparently doesn’t play any ball, instead going for the United player.
Silva passes through Gernacho’s side, who is unaware of the midfielder’s presence
Gernacho falls to the ground while Silva seems to have eyes only for his player
Some fans who criticised Silva pointed out that the veteran player was perhaps setting a bad example. One of them posted: “There is no need for that and nothing to be proud of either, he is literally half his age.”
Another said: ‘A 30-year-old man tried to hurt a child. This is disgraceful behaviour.’
Others felt the challenge deserved a stronger intervention, after Silva managed to escape any further punishment from the referee.
“I was lucky to stay on the pitch, honestly,” wrote one fan. “I didn’t try to play with the ball, I just wanted to take the ball away from the opponent. It should be a red card.”
However, some viewers praised Bernardo’s enthusiasm, saying that such challenges simply showed his passion.
One wrote: “Don’t worry about a little joviality. It shows you’ve been affected.”
Another added: “I love Bernardo’s passion. Absolutely beautiful.”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), a fan shared a video from Manchester United’s FA Cup final win over City in May, where Silva made an overly aggressive tackle on United’s Jonny Evans – and the problem was that Evans wasn’t even playing.
In the video, Silva can be seen running towards the touchline to pick up a ball that had gone out of play. As he picks it up, he turns his back on Evans, who is warming up, and sends the ball flying.
He can be seen apologising to Evans afterwards, but like his challenge to Garnacho, it seemed unnecessary.
Bernardo Silva can be seen running to collect a ball out of play during the FA Cup final in May.
As he collects the ball, he can be seen turning his back on Evans (right), who takes off.
Evans remains on the ground as Silva collects the ball, before the Portuguese midfielder apologises.
Manchester City eventually won the Community Shield, beating United 7-6 on penalties.
The score between the two teams came 18 minutes after the end of the match, after goals from Garnacho (82′) and Silva (89′) that took the match to penalties.
