Utd glory, but agony for Celtic & Arsenal
Fernandes is the star as Ighalo gets off the mark and Fred completes rout
A COOL £47million sometimes doesn’t buy much in January but Manchester United got an absolute worldie in Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes, continuing his flying start to his United career, was the architect of this comfortable win at Old Trafford.
He scored United’s first from the penalty spot and had a hand in two other two goals before Fred wrapped up a routine victory with a late double.
Fernandez already has two goals and two assists from his first five games for United – Old Trafford has not seen a new signing make such an impact since the ego that was Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Fellow January signing Odion Ighalo also netted on his full debut for United, dedicating his goal to his late sister Mary, but the night definitely belonged to Fernandes. His stats don’t do justice to how big an impact he had last night – he was denied another goal by former Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet’s fingertips.
The Portuguese star oozes class and strengthens the argument that United are finally starting to move up through the gears with
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the wheel. Yes, it was only
Watford on Sunday and Club Brugge last night but, with Fernandes pulling the strings in midfield, United could yet finish in the top four this season.
They might have had a couple before Fernandes converted his second penalty in successive games. Mignolet parried a rasping drive from Juan Mata before touching a Fernandes shot on to the post.
Yet for all of United’s early dominance, Mats Rits should have opened the scoring when Sergio Romero could only punch Hans Vanaken’s cross to him but he shot over.
Just when Bruges thought they had survived United’s early onslaught, Simon Deli pulled the pin out of a hand grenade to commit footballing suicide. Deli inexplicably dived to his left to save Daniel James’s right-footed curler, even though Mignolet had flung himself behind him in anticipation of keeping the effort out.
Referee Serdar Gozubuyuk sent off Deli and awarded United a penalty, only for play to be held up for five minutes while VAR reviewed his decision.
Gozubuyuk stuck by his red-card decision after reviewing footage of the incident on a monitor by the touchline. The delay was caused by the VAR officials checking whether the ball was going in.
Deli walked and Fernandes did a little skip in his run-up before sending Mignolet the wrong way in the 27th minute. Finally United have someone who can take penalties – he has converted his last 14 in a row, counting his time at Sporting Lisbon.
Now it was just a question of how many United would score.
James missed a decent chance before the silky Fernandes showed his class again to help make it 2-0 on 34 minutes.
He picked out Mata’s run to the back post with a precise cross and the Spaniard moved it on for Ighalo to score from five yards out.
Ighalo pulled up his shirt to reveal a tribute to his sister Mary, who died in December, and his team-mates cleverly surrounded him to save him from receiving a yellow card.
Fernandes was also at the heart of United’s third a minute before half-time as he dispossessed the careless Odilon Kossounou and fed Fred, who teed up midfield partner Scott Mctominay to score from the edge of the area.
With the game won, Fernandes was given an early night after 65 minutes to keep him fresh for the trip to Everton on Sunday, and his replacement Jesse Lingard made the fourth for Fred.
Bruges lost possession just outside their box and Lingard pulled the ball back on the left for Fred to slot home nine minutes from time.
Then in the last minute of stoppage time the Brazilian added the fifth with a fine shot from the edge of the box.