Where would Manchester United be without the brilliance of Bruno Fernandes? Quite possibly in the relegation zone along with Sheffield United. The Red Devils captain dragged his dysfunctional side to a first league victory in five matches with an inspirational performance against the Blades, summed up by an outstanding long-range strike for the winner.
The effort, with his weaker foot, put United in the lead for the first time after a maddening match against the Premier League’s weakest team, who twice took the lead before Fernandes grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck.
United had made a dominant yet toothless start, but found themselves trailing when Andre Onana’s loose pass was gobbled up by Jayden Bogle. Harry Maguire headed United level but the Blades, who won 2-1 in their last visit to Old Trafford three years ago, took the lead again in the second half through Chile international Ben Brereton-Diaz.
Maguire again came to United’s rescue, earning a penalty from which Fernandes leveled, blasting into the top left-hand corner. The Portuguese then found the opposite corner with a tremendous strike, before United’s talisman set up Rasmus Hojlund to score their fourth. Not even this chaotic, wild team could let this one slip.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Andre Onana (3/10):
Got United off to a horrible start with his disastrous pass and his confidence was shot for the rest of the game.
Diogo Dalot (4/10):
Could have done more to prevent Bogle’s goal, although let down by Onana’s pass. Bungled a glorious chance by taking too long to shoot.
Casemiro (7/10):
Much improved on his rusty recent displays, making crunching tackles and reading the game well.
Harry Maguire (7/10):
An inspired performance against his boyhood club, causing a nuisance in the opposing box and defending his own comfortably.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (6/10):
A comfortable performance to recover confidence after his woeful display against Coventry.
Midfield
Christian Eriksen (5/10):
Used the ball well but not convincing without it, losing Brereton-Diaz for the Chilean’s goal and being beaten too easily in midfield.
Kobbie Mainoo (6/10):
Had many bright passages of play, taking on responsibility in attack as well as defensively.
Bruno Fernandes (9/10):
Talismanic, both in the way he inspired the team with his body language and in the way he raised his level, scoring a truly stunning goal with his weaker foot.
Attack
Alejandro Garnacho (6/10):
Ran hard despite having to come off against Coventry. Set up Maguire’s goal but missed some good chances.
Rasmus Hojlund (6/10):
Held the ball up well, and was unconvincing in front of the goal but kept believing and scored for the first time in two months.
Antony (4/10):
Slow, imprecise, and kept miscuing. Another embarrassing display after another week to forget for the Brazilian.
Subs & Manager
Amad Diallo (6/10):
A big improvement on the hapless Antony.
Scott McTominay (6/10):
Helped unsettle the Blades’ defence even if he did not directly contribute to the win.
Ethan Wheatley (N/A):
Made his senior debut in added time the day after inspiring the Under-18s to cup glory against Manchester City. Got involved in the action and wasn’t far from scoring.
Sofyan Amrabat (N/A):
Brought on in added time.
Erik ten Hag (5/10):
His changes helped win the game, although Fernandes was the real reason. It’s a mystery why he keeps starting Antony.