BRUNO FERNANDES SHONE and Manchester United fan Odion Ighalo netted his first goal for the club as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men roared past 10-man Club Brugge in the Europa League.
Anthony Martial saved United’s blushes on a wet and windy night in Belgium last week, with his away goal securing a 1-1 draw that gave his side the upper hand heading into the second leg of the round-of-32 fixture.
A muscle injury sustained on the eve of the game meant the France forward missed the return fixture, but Ighalo proved an able deputy by scoring in-between Fernandes and Scott McTominay goals on a night when Fred’s brace wrapped up a comprehensive 5-0 win.
United progressed to the last 16 with a 6-1 aggregate victory – an outcome Club Brugge head coach Philippe Clement feared ahead of the match, admitting his absentee-hit side needed “something bigger than a miracle” to go through.
The incline on that uphill battle got even steeper midway through the first half when defender Simon Deli received his marching orders for inexplicably denying Daniel James’ strike with a one-handed save.
Fernandes coolly converted the resulting penalty after a four-and-a-half-minute wait caused by a surprising, and unsuccessful, VAR review, with deadline-day signing Ighalo quickly compounding matters when tapping in to open his account.
Fernandes was involved in that move, just as the midfielder was when collecting possession before McTominay struck on his first start since injuring his knee on Boxing Day.
United took their foot off the gas in the second half and the Portuguese was replaced by Jesse Lingard, who laid off for Fred to net his first goal of the season before the Brazil midfielder completed the rout with another in stoppage time.
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Great win. What a difference Fernandez has made.
@Ricky: screenshotting this for when united fans turn on him when the hype dies down and he’s had a few bad games
@Minamino: State of that comment
@Ricky: calm down now…decent performance alright, but it’s Brugge and we played against ten men for the majority of the match!!
Let’s hope they do the same against Everton at the weekend.
@Andy O’B: wouldn’t mind the result but even the way the played is better last few weeks. Must sharper going forward. Not saying they’ve turned a corner. Still very inconsistent but it’s a start
@Andy O’B: lol. The original poster watched 90mins and made 2 valid comments. He’s hardly booking strippers for tonight,
@Minamino: Keep it safe or you’ll have to spend your valuable time looking for it when the time comes.
@Ricky: he’s a great player. As a liverpool fan I’m gutted we didn’t go for him.
@Minamino: eh, the comment will still be here. No need to screenshot
Delighted for Fred, he’s taken his fair share of abuse since he signed, rightly or wrongly but he has been excellent the last while.
@Darren Lambe: same here, there’s something likeable about the lad
@aidan mccormack: him and Carrick’s bromance is great
@Adam Sheridan: Fred and Fernandez have a serious bromance too. The midfield maestro’s. Fred has been excellent. Consistently giving 8/10 performances. Lingard is a passenger. No goals. No assists. Out the door come the summer hopefully.
@Conor M: 2 goals and 1 assist. Not anywhere near enough but it’s not none
Brugge must be absolutely muck in fairness.
@John Dixon: why john
@John Dixon: United finally found their level. Let’s be happy for them really.
@John Dixon: drew away to real with ten men, cant be that bad
Ighalo ate all the pies
Give Ole a 10 year contract now!!!
Good outcome for Mufties, hope that gives them some consolation, badly needed.
@William Kelly: A late contender for the state of that comment award