Manchester United's emphatic defeat against Liverpool was always bound to elicit extreme reactions. As their captain, Bruno Fernandes has gained much of the heat.
The reality is that Fernandes is renowned as a bad loser. And as a player who is naturally a highly emotional, that was only going to be exacerbated with United spiralling out of control and ultimately conceding seven at Anfield.
He came across as unprofessional at times - whinging at officials and sometimes seeming to remonstrate with teammates. However, this was a United side collectively criticised by Erik ten Hag for lacking discipline. It was an abnormal scenario and out of character for a team that have been on an upward trajectory.
At least, in his anger, there were signs of just how much Fernandes cares - something that makes him a key facet in Ten Hag's team.
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There is no question that Fernandes could have conducted himself more graciously. There was one stage he even pushed a linesman, which is something you absolutely do not do, and for which he is possibly fortunate to have avoided any retrospective punishment. He also kicked out at Stefan Bajcetic (and missed) as the evening continued to get worse.
On the whole, though, Fernandes has been more measured this term than his oft-criticised erratic nature last season. And as much as his Anfield antics are not a great look, his conduct could be interpreted as his usual wearing of his heart on his sleeve amid a freak situation.
Realistically, in the situation United found themselves in, no player would remain level-headed. At least Fernandes' actions showed his care in a situation that United would have rolled over in with a whimper last season.
In any case, the whole predicament has been blown wildly out of proportion. There was petulance, but the narrative trundled quickly out of control.
It didn't help that a hot-headed Gary Neville on commentary for Sky Sports accused Fernandes of demanding to come off when Ten Hag made a late change, with the reality revealed to be that he was simply requesting clarification on a position change.
Questions have flown about his captaincy credentials amid likely fallacious reports suggesting the squad doubt Fernandes' ability to lead the team. It doesn't take much to see that this is never going to be the case, with Fernandes having been a leader at the heart of United's successes so far this season.
"He's been a good leader for us, even when he's not captain, which is always a good sign," Marcus Rashford reinforced alongside Ten Hag in his pre-Real Betis press conference. "He's helped other players become better leaders."
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It is clear there is no ill feeling in the squad when it comes to Fernandes, instead widespread admiration. "I don't have anything negative to say about Bruno," Rashford continued in his response to a question about the club's captain on the regular occasions that Harry Maguire doesn't feature.
To suggest Fernandes inspires negativity, as has been insinuated, is entirely frivolous. In the aftermath of the Carabao Cup final victory, he was at the heart of celebrations and shared a joke with Jadon Sancho on the selfie stick handed to players. He has also harboured respect such that Maguire insisted that Fernandes lifted the trophy with him.
His leadership has been shown throughout his United career, and one half of particular irritability shouldn't undo any of that. For instance, after United lost in humiliating fashion away to Watford shortly before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, Fernandes told fans to aim their frustration at the collective rather than just the manager.
This season, one standout moment displaying his humility - an attribute that isn't spoken about enough - came after the Manchester derby victory at Old Trafford, when he ensured Rashford walked in front of him so that his local-born teammate got the biggest ovation after their on-pitch interview.
His selflessness is significant. "If I see someone is low on confidence and they miss a pass, or shot I will shout at them but in a encouraging way," Fernandes told Rio Ferdinand for BT Sport a couple of weeks ago. "Like to say: 'Carry on we need you, you will get that goal or assist.'"
He could easily have scored in United's recent home win against Leicester City, but instead he opted to pass to Wout Weghorst - a player in need of a goal. Fernandes' empathy is a quality that signifies how good a leader he is.
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One thing that cannot be forgotten when considering his display against Liverpool is the amount of football Fernandes has played. He hasn't missed a game since his highly impressive World Cup with Portugal, starting each of United's 20 matches where others have had at least some rest.
He is largely a machine, a player that has missed only two games in his entire career through something other than suspension - both through illness, once at United. Amid his many qualities, the value of such availability is underestimated.
Still, fatigue - physically and mentally - is always going to take its toll when you are playing so much football. The Liverpool defeat did seem somewhat of a tipping point in this regard: his usual antics of frustrating the opposition were amplified, and he looked laboured at times to the extent people accused him - one of United's most industrious players - of giving up.
When United scored their late goals against West Ham United last week to send them through to the FA Cup quarter-finals, it looked as though Fernandes was so sapped of energy that he could barely even participate in the celebrations.
Unfortunately for Fernandes, being rotated out is barely an option given a lack of personnel in a similar mould that can offer the same vast qualities - something contributed to by long-term injuries to Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen.
It is much to Fernandes' credit that his performance level has hardly dropped while playing so much football, and his value to the team is emphasised by Ten Hag continually opting to select him.
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It is a measure of Fernandes' character and commitment that he has shown a willingness to frequently operate away from his favoured No.10 role, with efficiency achieved from out wide, particularly on the right, too.
He has been criticised at times for goal and assist tallies dwindling somewhat since his initial flurry upon joining United, but he is presently probably as effective a player as he ever has been in a United shirt. His game has been refined under Ten Hag, with the careless side to it having diminished significantly this season.
He remains the Premier League's leading open-play chance creator, with the highest number of chances created in a single game in the competition nine - achieved twice, both times by Fernandes, most recently against Leicester.
Fernandes was pivotal against Leicester - a game which summed up everything that has made him so important under Ten Hag. He has shown quality through his passing from a variety of areas, particularly with crosses and balls in behind from the half-spaces; he continues to show a knack for finding space, exemplifying his awareness on a football pitch.
He is a dictating presence in this United side - stretching further than just his creation - whether United are trying to break down a low block or cut open a team on transition, where Fernandes has shown himself to be particularly effective.
The value of his hard work, with relentless pressing and tracking back usually a key aspect of his game, cannot be understated either. It would be fair to attribute times when this wasn't the case against Liverpool to tiredness given the regularity of his application on every other occasion.
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Fernandes has plenty enough respect in the bank for the Liverpool predicament to be dismissed as a mere blip - like the entire team performance. He may have stood out at times, but he doesn't deserve to be singled out by any means.
Ten Hag has no doubt made the right decision to continue to be "happy with him as our captain", as he said in his latest press conference. He has taken on the mantle of often being the captain with assurance, and removing it would have been unjust and frankly damaging - on a larger scale than just to Fernandes.
The narratives after the Liverpool game have been out of control, and while frustration is natural after a result as disturbing as that at Anfield, rational minds would acknowledge this is purely an outlier in every sense of the word.
It should be treated no differently in the case of Fernandes.
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