“Can be so frustrating, at times.”
There was a moment near the end of the second half, at Anfield, where Bruno Fernandes was fighting with Trent Alexander-Arnold to get the ball back. Liverpool fans will have enjoyed the sight after what happened at Old Trafford, earlier this season.
When Liverpool scored a late goal, in their 2-1 loss at Old Trafford, it was Fernandes that was clutching onto the ball so Mo Salah could not force a quicker kick-off. This time around, it was Fernandes desperate for any touch of the ball with his side 7-0 down. He was so upset that Alexander-Arnold tossed the ball into his stomach that he gave the nearby linesman a quick shove. It was nowhere near Paolo Di Canio force, but he was tempting the red card gods.
Earlier in the game, Gary Neville had been exasperated with Fernandes when the United captain hit the deck after minimal contact from a flailing Liverpool arm. “That’s embarrassing,” moaned Neville. “Hits him in the chest and he goes down like he’s been poleaxed… can be so frustrating at times.”
Later in the match, with United well and truly trounced, Neville claimed Fernandes had been gesticulating to be subbed off.
“Bruno Fernandes is stood in the centre circle with his arms raised saying ‘Why isn’t it me coming off?’ Honestly,” said Neville. “I think some of his behaviour in the second half has been a disgrace.”
Roy Keane on Bruno Fernandes
Gary Neville criticised Bruno Fernandes again, after he came down from the Sky Sports commentary gantry with a 7-0 United defeat now seared in the record books.
“The second half was an absolute disgrace,” he said. “I’ll start with the captain because you are the captain of the football club.
“Bruno Fernandes can wind you up sometimes because of the way he is, but that was appalling in the second half.”
Roy Keane, Neville’s former United teammate, concurred with that assessment. Offering a small crumb of comfort – about Fernandes’ ability – he tore into other aspects. Keane declared:
“Fernandes’ body language today was nothing short of disgraceful. A really talented boy, he’s your captain, but his body language, waving his arms, not running back, you wouldn’t be happy with him in your dressing room.”
At the very least, Fernandes did front up to the TV cameras after his team’s humiliation.
🗣️ "We HAVE to come again! This is what Manchester United is about"
Bruno Fernandes speaks after Man United's 7-0 defeat to Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/JAJ8YKZqAr
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 5, 2023
“The games are coming thick and fast,” Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sports, after the game.
“We had setbacks in the past and we have to come back quickly again. This is what Manchester United are about, we can go down but we have to get back up.”
Related links.
- Roy Keane offers merciless suggestion to senior United stars after Anfield humiliation
- Liverpool vs Man United: Player ratings for Premier League clash
- Graeme Souness takes issue with Gary Neville’s off-camera remark about Liverpool
- ‘The problem is van Dijk’ – Richard Dunne blasts Liverpool defender
- Casemiro may not have been what Man United wanted, but he was what they needed
