BRUNO’S STROKE OF GENIUS
Fernandes settles classic tie with wonderful whipped free-kick
LiverpooL can have no complaints about the free-kick that led to United’s winner. Fabinho dived in from behind and made contact with edinson Cavani. it was enough to knock Cavani down and Craig pawson rightly gave a foul. Fabinho’s carelessness is to blame for Liverpool’s FA Cup exit — not pawson’s refereeing.
AS soon as Liverpool’s defender Fabinho caught the leg of Edinson Cavani a yard outside the penalty area, the danger was so clear you could almost smell it.
They say those kind of free-kicks are too close to be really threatening. Too difficult to get the ball up and down, apparently.
But Bruno Fernandes is a bit smarter than that, a bit better than that.
So round the side of the Liverpool wall, he sent his shot. Straight at his own player Paul Pogba, who he knew would duck.
Too much power for goalkeeper Alisson to get across. Too much accuracy also. And with that strike a classic FA Cup tie was won.
They will not talk about this game as they talk about previous great meetings between these teams. Without fans everything feels that little bit diminished.
But this was a superb match, all the same.
Liverpool played their full part and may feel slightly unfortunate to lose. Jurgen Klopp’s team enjoyed territory and created good chances. With the score at 2-2, just before Fernandes’ winner, they had the look of the dominant team.
But Liverpool also made mistakes and you cannot do that against this United team. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are not the finished article but they do have goals in them. They won here simply because they were the more clinical when necessary.
There was someme debate about Fabinho’s challenge hallenge on Cavani and certainly tainly the Uruguayan was clever, using his body dy to prevent what at was doubtless a genuine attempt t on the ball. But if f Cavani was smart then Fabinho was s not. He should have e concentrated on n preventing Cavani ani turning.
The striker couldd not have achieved muchuch with his back to goal but United’s forwards had placed great strain on the Liverpool back four all evening and this was just one of several moments when it paid off. Liverpool — without a meaningful win now for more than a month — were better than in recent games. They played with more hunger and imagination. They scored two lovely goals and were brave enough to press United hard in their defensive ththird. Much of this was recorecognisable. But Klopp’s team remremain vulnerable. ThThere is no steadfastness fasteadfastness about ththem. A brave teteam know there is something for tthem against ththis version of LLiverpool and UnUnited do not lack coucourage. EarEarly on, Liverpool played high up on United, forcingfo mistakes, and they went ahead in the 18th minute. Roberto Firmino’s goal return is not what it should be but he remains a supreme link player and when he slid a perfect pass between Victor Lindelof and Luke
Shaw, Mo Salah ran on to it to lift a super finish above and over Dean Henderson’s right shoulder.
Liverpool looked motivated by recent criticism while United had none of the hesitancy that inhibited them for 75 minutes at Anfield in last week’s league game.
The home team had clearly identified a weakness down the right edge of the Liverpool back four, too. Time and again Marcus Rashford or left back Shaw found a way in and behind Trent Alexander-Arnold and young centre back Rhys Williams.
The only surprise was that the equaliser was scored on the other side. Pogba was involved, winning the ball on the edge of his own area, but it was the crossfield pass from left to right by Rashford that made it. Mason Greenwood was able to control the ball and drive it across Alisson into the far corner.
For a while Liverpool looked to be in trouble.
They simply could not stop the flow down the left and looked
vulnerable to United’s pace. When young Williams missed his kick completely trying to intercept a Greenwood pass to Rashford early in the second period, the United No10 eased through to score.
United were ahead and it seemed a long way back for the visiting team but when they did scramble into the contest it was on the back of trusted methods.
James Milner could not keep a half-volley down when set up by a Firmino header in the 58th minute but played a huge part in the equaliser less than a minute later.
United tried to play the ensuing goal-kick out from the back but never looked comfortable under the pressure. Cavani eventually gave the ball away to Milner and when he drove forward and looked to exchange passes with Firmino, he eventually let the ball run across him and Salah swept it in from 12 yards.
So a good game had just gone up another level.
Neither side looked particularly inclined to play extra time and shortly after Sadio Mane came on for Liverpool, so did Fernandes for United.
Liverpool pressed firmly for the winner and could have scored it. Henderson saved at his near post from AlexanderArnold and then Salah was twice denied, once when shooting weakly when played clear down the right.
Ultimately, a bit of quality won it. Klopp may privately rue the second-half mistakes: one from a rookie defender and another from a player whose natural position is actually in midfield. But the winning goal still needed scoring.
Fernandes’ extraordinary impact at United shows absolutely no sign of slowing.