Match Coverage
Bruno Fernandes trolls Manchester United star after “unbelievable” 8.5/10 performance vs Arsenal
Bruno Fernandes has hopped on social media to troll one of his fellow Manchester United teammates following their “unbelievable” performance against Arsenal.
Manchester United booked their place in the FA Cup fourth round after a thrilling penalty shootout win over Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
The match began with Arsenal dominating possession and dictating the tempo. Gabriel Martinelli appeared to put the hosts ahead after 20 minutes, but his goal was ruled out for offside, much to the disappointment of the home fans.
As the game wore on, United found their footing and struck early in the second half. Bruno Fernandes showcased his trademark flair, firing a clinical finish past David Raya following a brilliant assist from Alejandro Garnacho.
The game swung dramatically with 30 minutes left on the clock. Diogo Dalot was shown a second yellow card, reducing United to ten men. Arsenal quickly capitalised, with Gabriel Magalhães smashing home an equaliser.
The Gunners had a golden chance to take the lead when Kai Havertz earned a penalty, but Altay Bayındır denied Martin Ødegaard with a superb save.
Neither side could find a winner in normal or extra time, forcing a penalty shootout to decide the outcome.
United were flawless from the spot, converting all five of their penalties. Bayındır cemented his status as the hero of the night, saving Kai Havertz’s effort to secure a dramatic 5-4 victory and propel Manchester United into the next round of the FA Cup.
Fernandes trolls De Ligt on social media
One man who must be praised for their performance at the Emirates Stadium is Matthijs de Ligt, who earned an 8.5/10 rating for his “unbelievable” display.
The Dutchman’s defensive brilliance came after a week of criticism for his game against Liverpool.
At Anfield last weekend, the 25-year-old mistimed a challenge to give Cody Gakpo his chance to score before handing the ball for Mohammed Salah’s penalty. However, there’s debate surrounding the legitimacy of the call.
After the Arsenal game, De Ligt took to Instagram to celebrate the win, posting two photos of him during the game with the accompanying caption: “Elite mentality from the team today, thank you for the support Reds!”
There was a moment towards the end of the fixture where De Ligt put in an outrageous block to deny Leandro Trossard a winning goal, to which he was seen screaming in celebration afterwards.
In reference to both this challenge and the previous performance against Liverpool, captain Fernandes chose to troll De Ligt in jest, commenting on his post: “Perfect tackle this time,” followed by an eyes emoji and a bicep emoji.
De Ligt one of three possible Man of the Match recipients
BBC Sport pundit and former Premier League striker Alan Shearer handed Bayındır the Man of the Match award on Sunday evening, but he explained that this could have easily gone to De Ligt or Harry Maguire.
“Altay Bayındır was absolutely outstanding,” Shearer began when asked by fellow pundit Gary Lineker why he chose the Turkish international for the award.
“It was a three-way tie between him and De Ligt and Maguire, who I thought were also superb but just because of his penalty save, I thought I would give it to him [the man of the match award].
“When you get given an opportunity, you have to take it and he took it today.”
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