Shearer, while reassessing the caggy encounter, said any of Fernandes, Leno or Bassey could have won the “Man of the Match”
By Kehinde Okeowo
Newcastle legend, Alan Shearer, has apologized to Super Eagles defender, Calvin Bassey, after picking Red Devil’s Bruno Fernandes as the “Man of the Match” of the FA Cup tie between Fulham and Man United on Sunday.
Bassey netted the game’s curtain raiser late in the first half with a powerful header but Fernandes equalized for the Red Devils 19 minutes from time.
However, Fulham went on to prevail 4-3 on penalties and advanced to the quarter final of the competition.
Apart from scoring the opener for the Cottagers, Bassey was impressive in defence for his team throughout the match.
Speaking to the BBC after the caggy encounter, Bassey bragged that he is now a “poacher” despite being a defender.
ALSO READ: Bassey brags after scoring against Man United in FA Cup tie
He said, “It’s a privilege and an honour to be here. To come here, it is a blessing, so I’m happy.
“I like to say I’m a bit of a poacher. Trying to smell where the ball would go and reacted first. Put my head on it and back of the net.”
Despite this, Shearer gave the man of the match award to Fernandes, and that didn’t go down well with Bassey.
Reacting to Bassey’s tweet after his initial decision, Shearer publicly apologized to the Super Eagles defender.
Addressing the saga on “The Rest Is Football” podcast, Shearer said, “I thought Calvin Bassey was very good. The problem is with the man of the match, you’ve got to say it five minutes before the end. I’m thinking, ‘What do I do?’ I’ve got to give it before the penalties.
“So, I just thought Bruno’s got Man United back into the game with the one piece of quality that they needed.
“It was him who dragged them [into it] and was playing all these probing passes, but, if I could’ve waited until after the penalties, then it might have gone to Leno, and it perhaps should have gone to Calvin Bassey, who I thought was absolutely superb at centre-half.”
