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Bruno Fernandes identifies Man Utd's major problem despite heroics in Chelsea win
Manchester United ran out 2-0 winners against Chelsea on Monday night, with new boy Bruno Fernandes playing a key role in the victory at Stamford Bridge.
Bruno Fernandes has revealed his concerns over Manchester United’s lack of creativity, despite their huge win over Chelsea on Monday night. The Red Devils ran out 2-0 winners at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire.
Victory in west London saw United breathe new life into their pursuit of Champions League football and narrow the gap between themselves between and the fourth-placed Blues to three points.
Fernandes played a key role in the win, driving his team-mates forward and setting up Maguire’s decisive goal.
The Portuguese midfielder was pleased with his contributions in the match, though he wasn’t happy with the team’s failure to make the most of the possession they had.
“I feel great, I’m really happy in a difficult game,” the 24-year-old said when asked to reflect on his performance against the Blues. “We needed to win and we can do much better with the ball. Chelsea are really good with the ball.
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We needed to win and we can do much better with the ball. Chelsea are really good with the ball
“I feel good. I play for the biggest club in England, it’s a dream come true.”
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed Fernandes last month from Portuguese giants Sporting Libson for an initial fee of £47million, though that figure could rise to £67.6million.
Solskjaer was thoroughly impressed with the Portugal international’s display in his second outing as a Red Devil, saying: "He's a top player. He is a conductor, he wants to get on the ball.
“His set-piece delivery is top class, he was unfortunate that he did not score with his free kick on the near post.”
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United hero Gary Neville was similarly impressed by Fernandes’ performance and believes he could prove to be the answer to the team’s lack of creativity.
“The problem they've got is when they come up against a team who are solid,” Neville said of his old side.
"They have problems in creativity and breaking down a team that basically sits behind the ball in numbers. That's happened time and time again. It's a well-known pattern.
"When Manchester United don't have the ball against the top teams and the top teams have to come out at them, they look like quite an exciting team, and they've had some wonderful victories this season.
“They've even proved difficult for Liverpool at Old Trafford.
"Ultimately, United have a pattern about them in terms of the type of games they enjoy and the type of games they don't.
"Maybe Bruno Fernandes will be the difference in certain games now at Old Trafford. They will be hoping they can get a little bit more out him in terms of creativity and assists, but there's still a lot to do for them to convince us all that they can go on a consistent run."
Fernandes and his United team-mates will be back in action on Thursday night, travelling to Belgium to take on Club Brugge in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 tie.