‘We had to bounce back’ – Fernandes celebrates big win in Champions League hunt
Video credit: TNT Sports
Meanwhile, Fernandes is just one assist away from equaling the Premier League season record, with a maximum of five games remaining this season.
“Bruno Fernandes, he’s going to be a player of the year candidate this season. He just creates great moments,” Hargreaves told TNT Sports.
“He was the architect of today and the best player on the pitch by a mile. Obviously with Cunha done, it feels like Champions League football has returned to Manchester United.”
“He is the best central midfielder in the Premier League. There was a time when Kevin De Bruyne was the best, but now it’s Bruno. I think he is the best player in the Premier League at the moment. It depends on the situation, but he has performed the best all season.”
“I think[the award]will depend on who wins the title, so if it’s Arsenal I think it’s going to be Declan Rice or Gabriel, but if not I think it’s going to be Bruno Fernandes. He’s been great in terms of creation and assists and he also has a bit of experience as well.”
Bruno: I just want to improve my game.
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Cunha puts Manchester United ahead with assist from Fernandes
Video credit: TNT Sports
Fernandes is chasing the record of 20 goals held by Thierry Henry (2002/03 season) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20 season), but both players have scored more goals (24 and 13) than Fernandes’ eight so far this season.
However, the United captain played outside of his central midfield position during the first half of the season and has provided 11 assists in the 13 games since Ruben Amorim was sacked as head coach.
But despite standing on the brink of history, Fernandez said he’s not looking at specific milestones.
“I say every time I want to do better than the previous season,” he told TNT Sports.
“I want to improve my whole game. Not just assists or goals, just overall, everything. I need to improve every week because I want to become a better player and finish my career in the best way possible.”
“We feel we are three points closer[to qualifying for the Champions League]. We now have one more game to win. We know we need points to secure that place and we will do everything we can.”
“It’s a great feeling for us. We had to bounce back…Chelsea are a very good team so we had to put in a great performance today.
“This was very important for us. Our goal is to get closer to the top four, but they are the team closest to the top five, which is perfect for us and that’s what we need.”
“(The fans) were amazing. Even in the warm-up you could already feel them getting into it. We always feel at home wherever we go to an away ground and today was no exception.”
