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Bruno Fernandes played a central role as Manchester United secured a point in a challenging 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.
In what was Ruud van Nistelrooy’s second outing as Man United’s interim manager, the team struggled to find their groove against Chelsea.
The home side struggled to gel in the midfield, managing to secure just 46% ball possession and seeing their passes get cut out time and again by the visitors’ determined defence.
Although United’s defence held relatively steady, barring some lapses in concentration, and midfield did find some consistency at sporadic moments, the attack largely failed to live up to expectations, with the team’s goalscoring struggles persisting.
Still, United managed to find the net once, courtesy of their captain.
Hojlund was brought down in the box by the Chelsea keeper, earning United a spot kick. Trusty penalty expert Fernandes sauntered up to the spot, sending the goalkeeper diving the wrong way as drove his penalty into the bottom left corner of the net.
Even though he deserved credit for his well-struck penalty, Fernandes’ shooting was largely substandard. He got one shot on target and one blocked shot, while two of his efforts were off the mark.
One of Fernandes’ biggest errors came in second-half stoppage time when he fluffed a close-range shot that could have been the winner just seconds before the final whistle.
He completed his only dribble of the match while respectably winning nine of his 14 ground duels.
Aerial duels were not Fernandes’ strong point, as he won just one of three. His short passing was also not at its best as he managed just a 67% accuracy, with only 30 of his 45 passes finding their target.
None of his three long balls reached their mark, while only one of his seven crosses was accurate.
Although accuracy was not his strong point, Fernandes made four key passes, proving to be an essential link in United’s build-up play.
Fernandes was relentless when it came to supporting his defenders as the visitors attacked.
He performed a whopping seven defensive actions, including four tackles, two clearances, and one interception.
While Fernandes was not at his best in terms of passing accuracy and shooting, he put in a valiant effort in what was a difficult fixture for which he deserves credit.
Despite his turbulent season to date, Fernandes has never let up when it comes to putting in effort, showing up when his team needs him most and proving why he is such an essential part of this United squad.
(Stats via Sofascore)
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images