Rio Ferdinand has admitted that one Manchester United star takes his breath away as he praises a second for causing havoc against Lyon on Thursday evening.
In Manchester United’s second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, they hosted Olympique Lyonnais in an attempt to turn their fortunes around and end a poor season in a strong fashion, which saw them come out as 7-6 victors over the two legs.
After a dramatic first leg ended honours even between the two sides, the second leg mirrored this result, and it ended 2-2 in the 90 minutes. This resulted in an extra time for the ages.
After a late red card saw Lyon head into the extra time with ten men, it would be easily assumed that Ruben Amorim’s side would be able to make this advantage count. However, the script had other ideas.
A well-taken dagger by United target Rayan Cherki gave Lyon an unexpected lead, before a penalty from Alexandre Lacazette took the tie to 6-4 on aggregate in the 109th minute.
With all hope looking lost, Bruno Fernandes dispatched a penalty in the 114th minute, which was quickly followed by a Kobbie Mainoo curler in the 120th, and a Harry Maguire bullet header only a minute later to settle the tie.
Ferdinand lauds breathtaking Fernandes
In the post-match analysis, United legend Rio Ferdinand was quick to sing the praises of The Red Devils’ captain, Fernandes, who sparked the legendary comeback with his well-taken penalty.
In Ferdinand’s analysis, he said that “You wouldn’t want anybody else picking that ball up and slotting it in the back of the next in this Man United team. He’s somebody who, he does things in games that kind of blow you away, and you think, wow, it takes your breath away a bit.”
The TNT pundit continued his analysis by mentioning how vital the Portuguese playmaker is to Amorim’s side when the going gets tough. He said, “But when the pressure situations come, you want him in and around it.”
Fernandes showcased his class for United tonight, not only with his goal, but with his general passing, ball carrying, and an almost-screamer when his first-time volley crashed off the crossbar.
Amorim’s surprising striker
Once Ferdinand had moved on from Fernandes, he then went on to give Harry Maguire his plaudits, as the centre back turned into a striker for the final 20 minutes of extra time, before scoring the winner.
Ferdinand stated, “Then, again, you’re just throwing it up there, saying, ‘listen, Harry Maguire, get up there, cause havoc’. He did it in a game not too long ago, by the way, against Nottingham Forest. So, you know he’s capable [of scoring goals].”
Maguire’s centre forward cameos have been an increasing occurrence for Amorim’s side, and with the absence of Joshua Zirkzee, and the misfiring of Rasmus Højlund, it could be an alternative we see more and more of.
The makeshift striker epitomised United’s result in many ways: often scrutinised, struggled in recent years, yet still capable of producing magical moments such as Thursday night’s winner.
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