A tale of two skippers
When United were in a tight corner, Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire took charge
FIVE ASIDES Premier League: United 4, Sheffield United 2
Quiz question: who was the only United forward or midfielder to play all 210 minutes in the past two games? It was, you may not be astonished to hear, a man who is both a forward and a midfielder: Bruno Fernandes. When United went 2-1 down to the lowliest team in the Premier League, Fernandes found his highest gear. He thumped in a penalty, then scored in open play with a screamer, and finally laid on a hooked cross to get Rasmus Højlund back on the scoresheet for the first time in two months. It was, curiously, the first assist ever involving these two. Fernandes also took the free kicks and the corners (perhaps wrongly – as Christian Eriksen was enjoying a rare start, he could have taken over on the dead balls and freed Fernandes to hover in the box, where he is currently United’s biggest threat). With a few minutes left, it was Fernandes who greeted Ethan Wheatley, the 250th Academy debutant, by saying ‘I’ll try and get you a goal’. In the 99th minute, it was Fernandes who took the last kick of the match. We need to know what kind of coffee he drinks.
In a mediocre season, Fernandes has been mostly immense. He deals in superlatives: he now the most goals by a United player in 2023-24 (15), the most assists (11), and the most minutes by an outfield player (officially 3956, actually around 4400 now that added time has ballooned). Seven of his goals have come this month, as if he was Cole Palmer in disguise. He has put away three penalties in the last six league games, plus one in the shoot-out against Coventry. He does spray a few long shots into the crowd, but when United really needed it on Wednesday night, he got his strike spot-on, and it was on his left foot. He led the way as usual for shot-creating actions, managing 11, four more than the next man (Alejandro Garnacho). He also led the way when it came to misplaced passes (21 out of 92), but that’s just the way he is. Even with a broken hand, he kept on chancing his arm.
While Fernandes was leading from the front, Harry Maguire was leading from the back. He scored for the second game running, this time finding a clever flick to use the pace of Garnacho’s cross, guide it into the far corner and show us that that slab head of his is capable of finesse. Maguire also won the penalty that Fernandes converted. If the ref hadn’t blown, he might well have had an assist, for scooping the ball forward to Diogo Dalot, who manoeuvred it into the net after the whistle had gone.
Maguire was playing with a niggle. He was also playing with an unfamiliar partner, Casemiro – who has actually been good in his two games at the back, more at ease than he’s been recently in his natural habitat, but still, being the last centre-back standing adds to the pressure on Maguire. Some ex-captains switch off when they lose the armband; Maguire has just kept on carrying himself like a captain – doing his best for the team, being the first to commiserate with Coventry’s players, giving interviews that show how well he reads the game. In the unlikely event that United win the FA Cup, it would be a nice touch if Fernandes beckoned him over to lift the trophy together, as they did at the Carabao final last year.
Not only did United (eventually) remember how to win, but Newcastle, now their nearest rivals, lost at Palace. That was a big bonus, though it did make you wonder if the same thing will happen to United on 6 May, as Palace have now beaten three members of the top eight on the trot (before Newcastle, it was Liverpool and West Ham). The fixture list has landed Erik ten Hag and Eddie Howe with strangely similar run-ins, both involving Sheffield United, Burnley, Palace and Brighton. And the two managers also have to face each other, on the night of 12 May, in what could well be a shoot-out for a place in the Europa League. United have a three-point lead over Newcastle at this stage, but the one way in which the run-ins differ doesn’t help them: their other remaining game is against Arsenal, while Newcastle’s is at Brentford. It should be an intriguing battle – not quite the same as being in the title race, but better than nothing.
Tim de Lisle is the editor of United Writing and a sportswriter for The Guardian. He watched this game from the Bobby Charlton Stand, with many thanks to John and Martin.