Manchester United would have been disappointed that they couldn’t come away with a victory following a hard-fought match with Manchester City.
While Ruben Amorim’s side suffered a few lapses in concentration, they proved to be coherent both in defence and the midfield, particularly when it came to formulating their attacking build-ups.
Still, even with 13 shots to City’s nine, the determined hosts were unable to find the back of the net.
Ultimately, it appeared as if their front line lacked the creativity needed to breach the visitors’ defence. Still, Bruno Fernandes emerged as an outlier, coming closest to breaking the deadlock.
Minutes before the final whistle, the Man United captain forced a save from the keeper to record his team’s first shot on target of the match.
While his only shot of the match, Fernandes showed some impressive legwork to complete three of his four attempted dribbles.
Fernandes provided the heartbeat of United’s midfield, with 40 of 43 passes finding their target for a 93% passing accuracy.
He impressively completed all five of his long balls while also providing three key passes.
The United skipper did well to hold his own against some feisty City players, winning seven of 13 ground duels. He also won his only aerial duel of the afternoon.
Importantly, Fernandes wasn’t just a massive asset on the attack.
He provided his team with ample support in defence, tracking back and completing five defensive actions.
This included one clearance, two interceptions, and two tackles.
While United may not have come away with the result they wanted, this certainly wasn’t due to any fault of Fernandes. The Portuguese playmaker produced another impressive all-round performance, showing why he is so critical to United’s DNA.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
