Manchester United were unable to secure all three points in a 0-0 draw against Southampton at Old Trafford.
United went a man down in the 34th minute when Casemiro was harshly sent off by Anthony Taylor.
The Red Devils, however, put up a second-half defensive masterclass to ward off the Saints and earn a valuable point to cement their place in third position.
Central to United’s decent result against Southampton was Bruno Fernandes.
The United skipper had 73 touches of the ball, demonstrating his hard work in making himself available for the pass.
He made nine ball recoveries in what was an astute defensive performance from him.
In Fred and Marcel Sabitzer’s absence, Fernandes played in the number eight position with Jadon Sancho plying his trade in the playmaking role.
Fernandes completed four long balls to get United up the pitch at speed and relieve pressure.
He won three ground duels and successfully completed two out of the three dribbles he attempted.
The 28-year-old also registered two key passes and in doing so created two big chances, either of which could have won the game for the Red Devils.
The United man should have arguably found the back of the net and clinched United’s winner.
His shot flew past a helpless Gavin Bazunu before hitting the post.
Erik ten Hag spoke about Fernandes’ new role before the game and expressed confidence that the Portuguese could shoulder his new-found obligations.
Ten Hag said, “We have seen on Thursday night how good Bruno [Fernandes] is acting in that position [No.8].”
“He’s tactical, really intelligent, he can play that role.”
Erik ten Hag happy with Manchester United’s resilience despite frustrating draw against Southampton
Erik ten Hag criticised the inconsistent refereeing decisions in his team’s 0-0 draw against Southampton.
Manchester United came away with just a point in a hard-fought game at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were down to ten men for most of the match after Casemiro was shown a red card for a bad tackle.
Antony Taylor was advised to look into the screen by the VAR and overturned his initial decision of a yellow card.
United fans were disgusted at the call, especially when Casemiro got a chunk of the ball before hitting the opposition player’s leg.
The Brazilian will now miss United’s next four Premier League fixtures.
In his post-match interview, Erik ten Hag spoke about how he was not particularly happy with the use of slow-motion replays when checking important decisions.
He stated: “Big compliments to the team. Big character when you are a long time with 10 men after we played on Thursday.”
“Everyone who knows something about football, you know, and of course, when you freeze it, it looks bad. But everyone who knows something about football, who was acting on top football, they know what is bad, what isn’t bad and what is fair.”
“Casemiro is across European games, over 500 games he never had a red card. Now he has two. Think about that. He plays tough but he plays fair. And also in this, he’s playing fair, same as against Crystal Palace, so it’s very debatable.”
“We see it with yesterday: Leicester-Chelsea, the VAR is not coming on the line.”
“Today, it’s coming on the line. And then it’s two penalty situations, but they don’t come on the line. Especially the first one, it was clear and obvious handball, so what is the policy?”
