Manchester United manager Erik ten Hague hailed goal-scoring captain Bruno Fernandes as the star man in their Europa League last 16 first-leg win over Real Betis.
Fernandes was heavily critical of United after Sunday’s record-breaking 7-0 Premier League thrashing at Liverpool.
But Ten Hague confirmed that the Portuguese would remain captain if Harry Maguire was not on the field – and Fernandes paid off that belief with a superb contribution in a much-needed win.
This included his eighth goal of the season when he headed home Luke Shaw’s corner in the 58th minute.
“He was the best player on the pitch,” said Ten Hague. “He played a bit deeper and he was brilliant, driving the game forward from the back position, with great passes between the lines. From there we created a lot of chances”.
Ten Hague accepted that Fernandes was not perfect. Betis’ late tackle on former Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo brought the midfielder a yellow card and didn’t look good.
But the United boss admits it is a fine line Fernandes has to walk.
“His passion is his strength,” added ten Hague. “But sometimes he has to get over it because when it’s too much it becomes a weakness. He knows that, but there are always small margins.”
Fernandes ran to celebrate his goal with his hands over his ears as the home fans chanted ‘Bruno, Bruno’ in his honour, showing they were behind him too.
Marcus Rashford, Anthony and Woute Weghorst were also on the scoresheet as United put themselves in a strong position to reach the last eight when the tie ends in Seville next week.
But ten Hague knows that a win alone will not erase the memory of Sunday’s disaster at Anfield, especially as he has been frustrated by some of his side’s previous performances, including in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle. victory
“We don’t ignore it,” he said. “We made mistakes and we got beaten. We were complacent and you can never do that in football.
“In the weeks before, I wasn’t happy with the performance against Newcastle and in the first half against Leicester, but sometimes you have to get a bad result where everyone’s eyes are open.”
United delight after ‘unacceptable’ Anfield debacle
In his program notes, Ten Hague described the Anfield defeat as ‘unacceptable’ and said he had left his players in no doubt that such a performance would not be tolerated.
And, in a move that held the Dutchman individually responsible for the damage rather than applying collective responsibility, he named an unchanged line-up.
All went well for half an hour.
Rashford put the hosts in control in the sixth minute with his 26th goal of a brilliant season after Fernandez’s cross was deflected into his path.
More chances arose – the problem was that none of them went in.
Bravo denied Rashford twice, Fernandez had a shot blocked and Weyghurst’s near-post effort was deflected wide despite missing a corner.
Bates’ form in La Liga, where they are fifth, suggested they were not as poor as they looked and Aves Perez proved it when he drilled a low shot from the angle of the penalty area.
If the on-loan Leicester City forward had got a second after being set up by Juanmi – gifted possession by David De Gea, who flicked a pass straight to him from inside his own six-yard box – the home side might have been level. I would be anxious.
As it was, Perez’s deflected shot deflected off a post and United survived – although question marks remain over keeper De Gea, whose contract expires in the summer.
Pellistri shows potential in late show
Even Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini, who barely said anything of note to the media during his three years as Manchester City boss, didn’t resist the pre-match dig at United after the seven-goal defeat at Liverpool. could
As the weeks go by, it will be interesting to see if any individual pays the price in what many consider to be the Premier League’s greatest rivalry.
For now though, it can be claimed that normal service has resumed.
Antony’s superb curling shot restored the home side’s advantage seven minutes after the restart and Wieghurst found the net with a first-time strike eight minutes from time.
A key factor in this late effort though was the contribution of Facundo Pellistri.
Good enough to play all three games for Uruguay at the World Cup in Qatar, the 21-year-old was making just his fifth United appearance off the bench.
But Pelestri’s role in Wighurst’s second United goal suggests he will be called upon more often as the campaign reaches its prime.
Ignoring the first option of a return pass on the halfway line, he raced past the Betis defense to the byline where he sent a cross back to Scott McTominay, whose effort was parried and Weyghurst scored. Kindly tossed to finish.
