In Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Real Betis on Thursday (March 9), manager Erik ten Hag praised Bruno Fernandes’ outstanding performance. After a superb victory in the first leg of their matchup in the round of 16 at Old Trafford, the Manchester United team made significant progress toward the quarterfinals.
Ten Hag was impressed by Fernandes’ performance, especially by how well he managed the game in the middle of the park. After the victory over Betis, he told BT Sport:
“He performed admirably today. He led the team from the start, controlled the game’s pace in possession, and scored a goal.”
Following a disappointing and contentious performance against Liverpool on March 5, Fernandes made headlines all week. United was defeated 7-0, and the vice-captain of the Red Devils was the villain on an embarrassing day.
Ten Witch solidly positioned his confidence in Fernandes before the conflict with Betis, affirming he would go on as his skipper. The Portuguese midfielder performed admirably against Betis to earn Ten Hag’s confidence.
He contributed to Marcus Rashford’s opening goal in the sixth minute, and his cross caused issues in the Betis box. Rashford eventually beat Claudio Bravo by smashing the ball into his path.
In the 32nd minute, former Newcastle United striker Ayoze Perez helped Manuel Pellegrini’s team draw level. However, in the 52nd minute, Fernandes helped Manchester United regain the lead. Antony was discovered on the right flank by the Portuguese playmaker. The Brazilian winger made an inside cut before hitting Bravo with an amazing shot.
In the 58th minute, Fernandes scored a goal that was due to his performance. United took a 3-1 lead when the midfielder rose highest to head home a bullet header. In the 82nd minute, Wout Weghorst scored a fourth to put Ten Hag’s team ahead in their last-16 tie. Next Thursday, March 16, Benito Villamarin will host the second leg.
Paul Scholes, a legend at Manchester United, believes that Ten Hag put his team’s character to the test with his starting lineup:
The starting lineup for Manchester United was the same as the one that lost to Liverpool horribly last Sunday, 7-0. Given the manner of the loss and the amount of criticism directed at players like Diogo Dalot, Wout Weghorst, and Fernandes, it caught many people off guard.
Despite this, United romped to victory over Betis thanks to Ten Hag’s decision. Before the game, Scholes thought the Dutch coach was testing the character of his team. He started BT Sport:
“I am sending the same time out, regardless of the manager’s advice to forget that,” After their disastrous second-half performance at Liverpool, they owe me.”
New Scholes:
“I believe he has the same team out tonight to test a few characters to see if they can really play for me in big games when it really matters,”
On Sunday, March 11, Manchester United will host Southampton in the league.