“Some people will say…”: United star gives final verdict on his fantastic strike vs Spurs

Bruno Fernandes was on the scoresheet for Manchester United once again, scoring their second to make the points secure in a 2-0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur. Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring in the first half with a well-worked goal from a corner, but despite long periods of dominance it took until the 81st minute for United to double their advantage. Smart finish An impressive Fernandes stabbed home from a Diogo Dalot cross to make it 2-0 and, speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the game, insisted that his unconventional finish was intentional. “I think that if you go with your feet the probability of the ball going very high is big because it is bouncing,” he said. “Some people will say I didn’t mean it but I did because I knew the ball would go straight into the floor so I had to just go straight across Vicario.” His strike brings him up to 200 goal contributions – 104 goals and 96 assists – since joining from Sporting CP in 2020. Second goal crucial United had been ahead for nearly an hour but in a season of blown leads there were nerves creeping in at Old Trafford. Asked about the importance of the second goal, Fernandes said: “We needed to close the game. We knew we were very in control of the game but at any moment it can change. “They had very good players up front that could make a big difference for them. To close the game then, we still could have got one or two goals but it is not easy against a low block, they were very compact and aggressive and defended very well even with 10 men.” Confidence soaring, but note of caution It was a huge win for United, who have now won four matches on the bounce for the first time in two years. It also delivered a rare clean sheet, and continued the delirious form that’s hit the squad since Michael Carrick came in as interim head coach. When asked what it is like playing in the team right now, Fernandes explained: “When we win games the confidence goes higher and higher. It is very important for us to maintain the focus and not overdo it now. “This is very good and very nice but we need to keep going. If you don’t win the next one and the next one you will get back into the same place where you don’t feel comfortable, you lose confidence and struggle to believe in everything you have been doing until now.” United’s upcoming fixtures – including Tuesday’s trip to West Ham – look like a golden opportunity to continue their rich form and build even more momentum. Fernandes said: “We have been doing very well until now to do everything that Michael and the staff have been asking of us and we have been very brave taking responsibility in some moments in the game to go and play and do whatever you need to do to win the game. “The main focus is the next game, it’s four wins in a row, this one is nice, but we need to make it five now.” Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Joe Ponting Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried. He cut his teeth working in print media for local newspapers and entered football journalism covering the grassroots game for the Non-League Paper. Here he achieved a career high, interviewing United legend Sir Bobby Charlton to get his views on the lower echelons of the football pyramid. To kill time during international breaks Joe writes album reviews and has strong views on post punk for Plus One Magazine.