23 September 2023 , 21:19
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Bruno Fernandes' fine goal against Burnley provided the perfect response to his bust-up with Scott McTominay following last week's defeat to Brighton.
The midfielder captained Manchester United to a much-needed win at the Clarets on Saturday night. He led from the front, scoring a stunning volley just before half-time to net what proved to be the winning goal for Erik ten Hag's struggling troops.
It comes after a miserable week for all involved at the Red Devils, with two defeats, seven goals conceded, a fresh round of injuries and dressing room unrest. That unrest was sparked by the awful loss to Brighton at Old Trafford last week.
Ten Hag's side were embarrassed by the Seagulls, before they also fell to defeat at Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Though they scored three goals at the Allianz, it was a result that sparked further unrest.
Throughout the week, stories of dressing room bust-ups have been leaked from United. One of those involved Fernandes, with The Sun reporting he confronted McTominay following the loss to Brighton in what was described as a 'furious bust-up'.
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Boss Ten Hag is said to have tried to restore order during the post-mortem after boos rang out at Old Trafford. But following his bust-up, Fernandes was able to provide the perfect response with a stunning winning goal at Burnley.
With little to seperate the two teams, Jonny Evans fired a long cross-field pass towards Fernandes. The Portugal international allowed the ball to drop over his shoulder before firing a volley past James Trafford from a tight angle.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who was man of the match as Manchester United beat Burnley? Comment below.
Fernandes scored a goal of the season contender to secure the winIt was a goal of the season contender from the United skipper and handed his side a crucial three points. And it was a strike that left Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand comparing Fernandes to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
"Jonny Evans has led the line so well today but this is a fabulous ball. The technique on this goal is just perfect. The bottom corner, that is exactly where you want that goal," Ferdinand told TNT Sports.
"Cristiano [Ronaldo] has scored goals like that, Van Persie has done it, Rooney has scored goals like that. If you want a leader to step up, they need to do it like that, that’s what he does."
Former Rangers boss Ally McCoist was also left waxing lyrical about the 29-year-old. The pundit hailed Fernandes' technique, branding the goal "magnificent" as United secured a crucial win.
"That is a brilliant finish, he’s so clever. Jonny Evans picks him out with a dream of a pass, Fernandes splits the two defenders, gets the space in the box and times his run perfectly. Look at this - magnificent," McCoist said on commentary.
"The technique is absolutely superb, a brilliant goal. He just drifts in between the two defenders - Taylor, he’s blindsided by the run so he should be communicating better with his teammate there but that’s me nitpicking."