Manchester United’s top-four hopes were kicked back into life on Wednesday night with a narrow and hard-fought win over Brentford.
The Red Devils had appeared to be sleepwalking towards the Premier League finishing line, going into the clash with the Bees without a win in three. But Marcus Rashford ’s strike keeps their gap over the chasing pack intact and their dreams of the Champions League clear and present.
David de Gea also played a key role as he recovered from his first-half malaise to deny the visitors with a brilliant stop after the break. For much of the opening 45, the Spaniard looked like he was in need of a wake-up call as his dozy distribution almost gifted Brentford a vital goal.
Following on from Newcastle clearly targeting that weakness in his game, Brentford did the same and Ivan Toney almost made him pay when a clearance deflected off him and went just wide. The jitters transferred from the six-year box to the stands as Thomas Frank’s side went in search of an equaliser.
Their best chance came when Kevin Schade found himself one-on-one with the United keeper, only for De Gea to produce his best Peter Schmeichel to smother the effort. In the process, he took one for the team, needing some treatment after the clash with the forward.
And in footage captured in those moments, Bruno Fernandes offered a glimpse into his…unique leadership style by kicking the stopper as he received treatment.
United physios didn’t look too pleased as the Portuguese playmaker aimed a couple of playful kicks towards the midsection of the stricken star. “Well that totally worked because De Gea was all fine after that, so Bruno > Medics,” one fan said in response.
“(Insert meme) Wake up, do something!”, another posted. "Lol he said 'what a save mate but get up',” a third joked.
De Gea is out of contract in the summer and the debate over whether he should be given a new deal was perfectly encapsulated during the Old Trafford win. Erik ten Hag is clearly desperate for his charges to play from the back - something De Gea is clearly uncomfortable with, but when it comes to big saves and big moments there are still few better.
Ten Hag said: “When you need David, he is there and when you lose focus, mistakes can happen. We want to play as a machine and don’t make mistakes. We make one mistake and luckily they didn’t benefit from it and also it was the performance from David de Gea.”
As for Fernandes, he would have just been relieved to see his goalkeeper return to the action and see out yet another clean sheet. His leadership style has come under question for large portions of this season, with the ex-Sporting star now club captain in all but name.
The midfielder’s histrionics often make headlines, but Fernandes insists that is all part of his charm. “Sometimes when I’m shouting, from the outside it seems like I’m saying something bad to my team-mates, but it’s the opposite way around,” he told BT Sport last month.
“It’s the way I do it with the arms and everything. Sometimes I do it in a good way, but you see me waving my arms and you think it’s in a bad way.”
Waving arms, moaning at teammates, politely kicking them in the stomach, it’s all part of the package for Bruno Fernandes and his top-four chasing United colleagues.
