Issues are getting tight on the prime after Arsenal dropped factors, Manchester Metropolis closed the title race hole and Liverpool went into freefall off the pitch for a change.
Our Premier League Participant of the Weekend is …
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe lastly has a glimpse of his Manchester United imaginative and prescient.
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The billionaire yearns to revive Previous Trafford to a wonderful heyday when Eric Cantona was his object of affection, however one other Nineteen Nineties icon is presently being embodied.
Bruno Fernandes has change into United’s new Bryan Robson; a Captain Marvel that singlehandedly drags them by way of distress, malaise and potential banana skins.
Monday’s journey to a lowly Wolves threatened to observe the latter theme as Ruben Amorim’s aspect noticed Fernandes’ scrappy opener cancelled out in first-half added time.
This was hardly unchartered territory for the Crimson Devils in a season the place they’ve made extremely exhausting work out of beating down the Premier League’s underlings.
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Some supporters had been already fearing a recent repeat at Molineux, towards a crew who had been winless all marketing campaign and had beforehand failed to attain since October 26.
Ratcliffe’s presence risked magnifying a attainable humiliation, particularly after he was captured in animated talks with sporting director Jason Wilcox on the break.
Fernandes, nevertheless, impressed United to an eventual 4-1 win with one other objective and an help that noticed him be a part of illustrious firm within the trendy prime flight’s file books.
The Portugal worldwide grew to become solely the fifth participant in Premier League historical past to create an help in 5 successive away video games, but there’s a lot extra to him.
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Like Robson on the daybreak of United’s success-laden dynasty, he raises requirements in a crew which is but to grasp its true potential and brings the perfect out of people.
Mason Mount has been the most recent beneficiary of Fernandes’ management qualities, hanging up a partnership which has kickstarted the playmaker’s Previous Trafford profession.
The pair mixed once more within the Black Nation as the previous Chelsea prospect delivered the guests’ third of the night and staved off recent potential disaster speak.
Mount’s star flip earned him the Man of the Match, which in itself is testomony to Fernandes that his three objective involvements failed to maneuver that specific needle.
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He has now produced 123 in 210 Premier League outings since making his debut, coincidentally towards Wolves 5 years in the past, and 194 in 306 video games total.
Regardless of these spectacular figures, it’s more and more assumed that – much like Robson in his prime – he’ll proceed to ship the products with minimal fuss or fanfare.
The 31-year-old’s selfless ethic might be key with United dealing with a hat-trick of difficult clashes with Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle earlier than the top of 2025.
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📸 DARREN STAPLES – AFP or licensors