Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick as Manchester United thrashed Real Sociedad 4-1 in the round of 16 of the Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday, March 13.
Diogo Dalot added another goal in injury-time after the visitors had taken the lead in the first half.
Amid a disappointing Premier League campaign that finds them in the 13th position in the league table, their entry to the quarterfinals of the Europa League will be happy news for the Red Devils supporters.
Bruno Fernandes Keeps Performing for Manchester United
The 30-year-old Portuguese playmaker is the highest goal-scorer for the Red Devils this season. Fernandes now has 15 goals in 43 matches for Manchester United this season.
Although two of his goals against the Spanish side came from penalties, his third goal that resulted from a quick counter-attack underlined his finishing abilities as well.
Fernandes thus continues to demonstrate his ability to bail his team out, just as he had done by scoring against Arsenal in a Premier League match over the weekend.
He is undoubtedly one of the best dead-ball experts in the Premier League at the moment, which complements his playmaking skills very well.
Had he had the luxury of having a prolific set of forwards in front of him, it would have been even more fruitful for him.
Both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee came really close to scoring on a number of occasions, but failed to hit the back of the net actually.
To his credit though, Hojlund earned United’s first penalty after a foul was committed on him inside the penalty box.
However, the 22-year-old Norwegian’s output in terms of scoring goals remained quite dismal.
Zirkzee, too, kept working hard and almost registered an assist on the day. However, the end result was not quite satisfactory on yet another occasion.
All of the above means that Fernandes is forced to do that extra bit to rescue his team repeatedly.
The fact that he plays as one of two holding midfielders in a 3-4-2-1 implies that he has some defensive responsibilities as well.
Although, to be fair to him, Casemiro has been performing quite well in the recent past.
One of his long passes to Fernandes led to the opening goal against Real Sociedad. Still, Fernandes’ off-the-ball run also needs a special mention in this regard.
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Manchester United Cannot Afford to Finish in the Bottom Half
Even if they manage to beat Lyon in the quarterfinal, United cannot afford to finish in the bottom half of the league table.
The Red Devils will face Leicester City in their only remaining Premier League match this month.
Then, in the month of April, Ruben Amorim’s men will take on Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Lyon in their first three matches, each of which should pose a serious enough challenge to them.
Fernandes will be central to United’s scheme of things in those matches. While he cannot do it alone every time and against every opposition, he should try to maintain his good streak for as long as possible.
With more than 270 appearances for United under his belt, he remains their most valuable player in recent times.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
Recording Date: 13.03.2025