Manchester United got back to winning ways at Turf Moor thanks to a Bruno Fernandes stunner. The 1-0 win over Burnley ends a run of three games without a victory for Erik ten Hag’s side.
After surviving a few first-half scares with Burnley hitting the post, United overcame the pressure as Fernandes struck gold on the brink of half-time.
It was United’s first away win of the season but the performance was far from convincing. The Reds had total control in the second-half, though, and I’ll settle for that after the run of form we’ve had since the start of the season.
To come away from Turf Moor with three points as well as a clean sheet was a bonus. Andre Onana needed that had he made two important saves to deny Burnley in either half.
The only negative was Sergio Reguilon coming off with an injury. Our stand-in left-back appeared to have pulled his hamstring late on and was replaced by Raphael Varane.
Without further ado, here are our three observations from the 1-0 win over Burnley.
Fightback begins for United
Manchester United travelled to Turf Moor after losing three of their first five games in the Premier League. The media is coming at Erik ten Hag and his players with pitchforks and it was crucial to grind out three points one way or other. We have back-to-back games against Crystal Palace which we should be winning. This should be the start of a winning run for Ten Hag’s side and we can relax knowing they showed great spirit tonight.
Jonny Evans outstanding
There was fear in the air when Evans was named in the starting line-up, but the 35-year-old upheld the standards Ten Hag has spoken about ever since he became manager. On the stroke of half-time, Evans provided a great pass to help United take the lead when he pinged the ball into the box with his left foot. He led by example in defence and was unlucky not to put United 1-0 up himself after VAR ruled it out for offside.
Captain’s moment from Bruno Fernandes
Our Portuguese Magnifico produced a moment of magic in the first-half to open the scoring. Fernandes volleyed a Evans’ pass on the stroke of half-time to give United a much-needed set of three points. For all the negative talk of Fernandes being captain, tonight he stepped up to the mark with a moment of class.
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In recent years it’s seemed that, whether new Manager or new player, the best we can hope for is one decent season before rot sets in. Anyone buck this trend? Aye, step forward Miguel Bruno Fernandes: our Captain Fantastic.
Ace Bruno – what a guy!