Bruno Fernandes gave Erik ten Hag exactly what he wanted with second-half moment in Man United’s win against Man City

Two goals. Three points. Nine wins in a row. Millions beginning to believe again. Manchester United’s 2-1 win against their city rivals was massive for Erik ten Hag’s men and Bruno Fernandes was one of the catalysts for the impressive performance.

The Portuguese midfielder was used out on the right side in the first half as Ten Hag introduced the energetic Fred to the line-up.

United’s manager previously mentioned that his team had a ‘lack of belief’ in their previous meeting with Manchester City, as they lost 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium. He wanted to make sure that was not the case this time around.

And, as interim captain, Fernandes took the lead in that role. His non-stop running and pressing, alongside the rest of the team, ensured City could not get comfortable in the game.

However, as is against world-class opposition, there are always going to be periods you have to be under the cosh. That came in the early stages of the second half for City.

They started moving the ball around with more intent and slowly took hold of the game. We saw similar last year at Old Trafford when it was almost a training game for Pep Guardiola’s side.

However, this time around, there was a grit and determination about United’s team, no better encapsulated by Bruno Fernandes in the 59th minute of the game.

The Portuguese midfielder was defending his box deep as City held possession until the ball popped to him after a tackle.

He immediately looked up to find Marcus Rashford. The forward was against the City defenders looking for a quick counter.

A pinpoint long pass found the Englishman well into the opposition half. But he was unable to keep the ball after pressure from two City defenders.

Who was the first man to start the counter-press? Bruno Fernandes. The man who was on the edge of the box playing the ball forward moments earlier.

City initially kept the ball and began to progress before Bruno fouled Jack Grealish with a sliding tackle just before entering United’s third.

“Let him know you’re there” is quite a simple, yet surprisingly effective practice. This City team have played around United too many times in recent years and that foul showed the belief that United had. They weren’t there to be messed around, but they also showed their own quality, especially with the two goals, and provided a solid showing against the Premier League champions.

“The most important thing was winning. It was an amazing comeback. We look like a team now,” Fernandes told BT Sport after the win.