Manchester United let slip a two-goal lead last night, as the fatigue finally started to set in following their penalty-shootout victory on Sunday.
Going into the break 2-0 up, having comfortably swept aside Tottenham Hotspur, through their tiredness and some inspiration from Ryan Mason’s men, they would creep back into the game, eventually salvaging a point as it ended 2-2.
Whilst it changes little in their race for the top four, it did allow Newcastle United to leapfrog the Red Devils after their thumping win elsewhere.
With injuries piling up as they travelled to north London, the big talking point was surrounding Bruno Fernandes, as Erik ten Hag had previously suggested he would be a doubt for the clash.
The Portugal international had never previously missed a club match through injury, so all the attention focused on whether the 28-year-old could at least make the bench to uphold his impossible record.
However, he did more than that, starting in midfield against all the odds and shining for 90 minutes.
How did Bruno Fernandes play vs Spurs?
Whilst his inclusion alone marked a mini-miracle, to dominate the game in the way the former Sporting CP maestro did further emphasises not only his importance to this team, but his truly top-end quality with regard to the rest of the Premier League.
As a creative and goalscoring influence, there are few who can compare with this polarising superstar.
Starting just in front of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the engine room, the platform was well-built for him to thrive. Fernandes would take this opportunity with both hands, recording 73 touches and maintaining a 7.6 rating throughout. Only goalscorer Marcus Rashford earned higher on his team.
However, it was his magical through-ball that set the speedster free to score their second goal of the night, adding another special assist to his ever-growing collection. It could have been so much more, though, as he forged three key passes and created two big chances. He would even miss one himself, fashioning a golden opportunity all on his own, only to hammer his close-range effort against the bar (via Sofascore).
Such a dominating midfield display led one United writer to take to Twitter, unapologetic in his claim that: “Bruno Fernandes is the best in the world, man, I don’t even care.”
Having been branded a “creative monster” by Statman Dave earlier this month, it seems that with each passing game, the magician only serves to further support this claim.
The £240k-per-week midfielder may not have been on the winning side last night, but his immeasurable play certainly merited it.
#Man #Uniteds #240kpw #Monster #Insane #Spurs