Ian Wright has explained a moment he saw from Manchester United against Liverpool that he felt has been very underrated during the epic 2-1 win.
Manchester United earned a memorable 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, as Rúben Amorim’s side claimed a huge three points at Anfield.
United started perfectly, taking the lead inside two minutes when Bryan Mbeumo fired in from a tight angle after a clever pass from Amad. Bruno Fernandes later missed a good chance to extend the lead, but Amorim’s men went into half-time ahead.
Liverpool pushed hard after the break, with Cody Gakpo striking the post before Amorim introduced Manuel Ugarte, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu, and Benjamin Šeško to lift the tempo. Gakpo equalised late on, but Harry Maguire’s powerful header quickly restored United’s advantage.
Despite Liverpool’s late surge, United’s defence held strong to secure their first victory at Anfield since January 2016.
Wright praises “very underrated” moment vs Liverpool
Following the 2-1 win, much of the focus on United has been on the brilliant performances of Maguire, Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha, all of whom were instrumental at Anfield.
However, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has chosen to focus on Fernandes, who he thought produced a “very underrated” moment with his assist for Maguire’s winning goal.
The move started with Fernandes finding Mbeumo for a corner, whose shot cannoned off the Liverpool defence and looped back to the United captain.
However, instead of controlling the ball, the 31-year-old lifted the ball first-time over the Liverpool defence and toward the back post, which Maguire then nodded in in fantastic style.
“You see Bruno’s ball in, I think it’s very underrated how good that was,” Wright commented on the Stick to Football podcast.
“The technique for him to put that back in there on the volley was just like, it was brilliant.”
Liverpool fixture showed the best and worst of Fernandes
Fernandes is a player of such unique and high quality that, regardless of how brilliantly or poorly he plays on a given day, he has the ability to execute a game-changing moment to perfection.
Against Liverpool, this was on display. After a mixed first half where Fernandes played very well deeper but missed a critical chance after 20 minutes, he began to have a very erratic second 45 minutes.
The United captain misplaced multiple passes and was late to several challenges in the middle of the park, which eventually prompted Amorim to substitute him, but not before his marvellous assist.
A lot has been made of his deeper position this season. Some reports suggest that Fernandes is not overly joyed with his current role in the team, and the player himself has hinted that he may be playing there for the sake of the team, not necessarily his preference.
“I love playing football, whatever the position,” he said last week. “They can put me at full-back, winger, goalkeeper. I’ll always give my best. Everyone has their preferences, but we have to adapt to the coach’s ideas.”
Either way, Fernandes continues to be a complete leader for United both on and off the pitch, and if he can produce more moments like his assist, it would go a long way in helping United regain some serious form on the pitch.
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