Erik ten Hag names his Man of the Match after Man Utd defeated Brentford 1-0
Bruno Fernandes was the best player during Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Brentford on Wednesday evening, according to Erik ten Hag.
The victory at Old Trafford returned The Reds to the top four in the Premier League.
Due to the continued absence of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, Fernandes was given a larger role in this match.
Even though he played alongside Marcel Sabitzer and Scott McTominay in the engine room, Manchester United number eight was frequently the deepest midfielder for the home team.
Fernandes finished the game with 114 touches and 83 passes completed at an 87% completion rate. He is frequently criticized for his scattershot approach with the ball, but against The Bees, he demonstrated a marked improvement.
Defensively, the Portuguese was solid, and he played a crucial role in United’s buildup, delivering 13 passes into the final third.
While Marcus Rashford scored the game-winning goal for The Reds, Ten Hag stated that Fernandes was the night’s top performer.
“Rashy’s performances are outstanding,” said the United boss. “What he is doing, that is great. But, for me, the best player on the pitch was Bruno Fernandes. By far. I think he dictated the game from the start until the end.”
In a separate interview, Ten Hag repeated his appreciation for the midfielder: “Bruno was a little bit deeper and I think he was brilliant today. For me, the best player on the pitch. He dictated the game and led us to the win.”
United will now concentrate on their upcoming league match against Everton.
The Toffies will travel to Old Trafford, where Ten Hag’s squad will be confident of continuing their impressive home form against the relegation-threatened team.
Ten Hag is pleased that his team has not suffered a loss at the Theatre of Dreams since September, but he hopes his team can begin to improve on the road.
“We’re happy with that [Old Trafford being a fortress] but it shows that we can do it, we can bring that performance. Now we have to do this in away games,” added the Dutchman.
“So we have to work on our character and personality to do it. In home games we show personality and character but away we can’t always bring it on the pitch.”
Erik ten Hag names his Man of the Match after Man Utd defeated Brentford 1-0
