19 January 2023 , 10:48
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If one moment summed up Manchester United's draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, it was the flashpoint between Bruno Fernandes and Antony.
The United captain was less than impressed with Antony after an attack broke down because the Brazilian ace misplaced a simple pass during the first-half. But while Fernandes made his disappointment clear, it was the former Ajax man who lost his cool: fans spotted the winger shouting "filha de puta", which translates to English as "son of a b****", in Fernandes' direction in the aftermath of their exchange.
Fernandes and Antony quickly made amends by slapping hands before a throw-in a couple of moments later, but if there are any ill-feelings, then Antony should bear in mind that Fernandes is unlikely to give any ground.
United's stand-in skipper, who has been tipped to land the role on a permanent basis at the end of the season, has more often than not been Manchester United's main man since arriving from Sporting Lisbon.
The return of Cristiano Ronaldo, coupled with a drastic dip in form, saw Fernandes' influence wane slightly over the past 12 months. But even when times were tough, the Portuguese playmaker proved he isn't afraid to fight back against teammates if required.
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During the 2021/22 campaign, Fernandes spent months in the shadow of Ronaldo but fought back during a discussion over a free-kick. Ronaldo, obviously, fancied his chances but Fernandes pulled rank and won out against the United talisman, who surrendered and left his compatriot to it.
Now Ronaldo has left the club, Fernandes is once again the top dog at Old Trafford - and he's unlikely to have any qualms about pulling rank on Antony after holding his own against one of the greatest players in history.
Join the debate! What did you make of Antony and Fernandes' spat against Crystal Palace? Let us know here.
Antony and Bruno Fernandes exchanged words during Man United's draw with Crystal PalaceShortly after his flare-up with Antony, Fernandes bagged his second goal in as many games with a classy composed finish to nudge United into the lead.
And although Michael Olise struck back for Palace right at the death to pinch a share of the spoils, Fernandes' form will give Erik ten Hag plenty of encouragement. Antony, on the other hand, produced another underwhelming display and has plenty of work to do in order to start living up to expectations following his £85million summer move.
Speaking after the match, Fernandes rued United's inability to take their chances. He told Sky Sports: "We knew it's tough to play here. We could have lost the game. We're not happy with a draw. We should have taken our chances and closed the game. They scored a great goal at the end. Nothing we can do now.
"We have to look forward now. Other games are coming. We're still doing good things. We're really disappointed with the result but the next one is close. We have to prepare the game. Not too much time to recover."