Chris Sutton blown away by “sensational” 7/10 Manchester United star vs Brentford

BBC pundit and former Chelsea forward Chris Sutton was blown away by Bruno Fernandes’ “sensational” performance against Brentford.

Manchester United fought back to claim a 2-1 victory over Brentford at Old Trafford on Saturday, turning the game around in dramatic fashion.

Ethan Pinnock gave Brentford the lead with a header from a corner just before half-time. However, United responded with goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund in the second half, with Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes providing the key assists to complete the comeback.

Read More: Manchester United hit with double injury update amid fantastic Brentford win

Matthijs de Ligt delivered a resilient performance at the back, continuing to dominate despite a head injury that left him playing with blood on his face.

The win sees United climb back into the top half of the Premier League as they aim to bounce back from a tough start to the 2024/25 season.

A “sensational” performance

Although Højlund and Garnacho have received plenty of praise following their well-taken goals, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton focused on Fernandes’ and his excellent assist.

With the tie deadlocked at 1-1, Christian Eriksen played in a forceful pass to Fernandes on the edge of the area, who flicked the ball just off the ground the first time of asking to set up Højlund for his deft chip over the goalkeeper.

“The finish is a delight from Rasmus Højlund,” Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 live when reviewing United’s winning goal.

“He lifts the ball over Mark Flekken. The touch from Bruno Fernandes is sensational. Højlund points to Fernandes as the touch on the outside of his right boot put him through.

“Man United have played with such great fire and intensity in this second half.”

A measured display

This display from Fernandes was much more measured than in previous weeks, and the Portuguese playmaker received a 7/10 on our player ratings.

It was refreshing to see Fernandes look much more measured than the player who received back-to-back red cards against Tottenham and FC Porto – it was much more of a captain’s performance.

Although Sutton was full of praise for Fernandes, many fans know that he does have a gear further up than this and has shown it on many occasions. He was great during the Brentford win, and we hope he can kick on and find a consistent run of form.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.