On a very strange afternoon, one of the odder incidents was among the last. When Enzo Fernandez was announced as the man of the match, it felt about 80 minutes too late. If Manchester City’s win over Sunderland had been curtailed after 10 minutes, the outstanding quality of his opening goal and the considerable chutzpah it entailed, would have rendered him a worthy winner.
Another seven goals later, when Fernandez was anointed, there were jeers from the Sunderland supporters. Perhaps that was inevitable: the Argentine is the Premier League’s pantomime villain and the City faithful have rather embraced his notoriety. Maybe it was a reaction because Brian Brobbey was a more deserving recipient, though even a historic hat-trick from a visiting player is still never likely to earn recognition when the home club picks the winner.
