A classic Premier League rivalry played out its latest instalment at Old Trafford on Sunday evening as Manchester United and Arsenal battled it out.
In the end, neither team could find that decisive winner with the scoreline reading 1-1 at full-time, as Arsenal’s faint hopes of a rejuvenated title charge continue to fizzle out, whilst the Red Devils have to come to terms with their below-par 14th spot in the division.
Still, Bruno Fernandes produced yet another moment of magic to briefly get the Theatre of Dreams masses out of their seats, with the much-loved number eight stealing the show again with his dynamic showing.
Bruno Fernandes’ performance in numbers
Off the back of his delightful free-kick effort sailing in, the entertaining Portuguese attacking midfielder is now up to 11 goals and 13 assists for the season, proving himself to be United’s most consistent and classy performer even during bleak times.
13 of those goals and assists have come in the league, with many hoping inside Old Trafford that this effort would be a glorious winner, only for Declan Rice to pop up with an equaliser for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners late on to spoil the mood.
It’s worrying to ponder how much lower down the division the Red Devils would be if it wasn’t for regular moments of quality like this, with Fernandes also chipping in with two more efforts and a key pass during the contest in a bid to steer his side to a win, but it wasn’t to be.
Also getting stuck in with two tackles, nobody could deny the commitment levels on display from the United captain, but another face in the midfield is now as undroppable as the much-talked-about 30-year-old, having put in an even more full-blooded showing.
Man United’s 8/10 “monster” is now as undroppable as Bruno
When Amorim is consulting his team sheet before games, Fernandes must surely be the first name nailed on to start at this moment in time.
The next figure reeled off in this regard could be Casemiro, with the ex-Real Madrid man turning around his Red Devils career slowly but surely in recent weeks, considering the Brazilian also won eight duels mid-week away at Real Sociedad.
Usually a scapegoat at Old Trafford, the trend of Casemiro rolling back the years with determined and dogged displays continued into the Arsenal clash, with the 33-year-old singled out for praise by football statistician Statman Dave, having been labelled as a “monster” for winning eight tackles in 65 minutes.
He ended up winning one more before the game was over and done with too, with far more encouraging statistics from his overall showing meaning he is simply undroppable now alongside the goalscoring hero.
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Casemiro’s performance in numbers |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
Casemiro |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
37 |
|
Accurate passes |
15/18 (83%) |
|
Clearances |
2 |
|
Blocked shots |
2 |
|
Tackles |
9 |
|
Total duels won |
12/16 |
|
Stats by Sofascore
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|
Long gone are the days when United fans were clamouring for Amorim to drop the waning midfield dud, with Casemiro bravely winning 12 duels in the middle of the park, alongside only misplacing three of his 18 accurate passes on the day.
Off the back of another improved showing, the Daily Express journalist handed out a high 8/10 post-match rating to the United number 18, heralding his performance as “tremendous” defensively.
Whilst Fernandes possesses flair in spades, Casemiro’s grit really did shine through in the 1-1 draw, as Amorim’s men now hope for a Premier League win to come their way next up versus Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City.
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2025-03-09 21:08:16
