Manchester United hoped for an easy night against Omonia. Rarely are any Manchester United matches straightforward.
Scott McTominay’s injury time winner gave United a 1-0 win which was fully deserved, which looked like it may never come.
United were wasteful in front of goal, and it wasn’t for a lack of chances. Final figures showed United attempted 34 shots at goal and dominated with 78 per cent possession.
As always, Bruno Fernandes was at the heart of United’s performance, good and bad.
Bruno Fernandes creates seven chances
To look at the numbers alone might suggest Bruno Fernandes had a masterclass. He touched the ball 101 times and created seven chances.
He was let down by some poor finishing from his teammates which denied him an assist; he remains stuck on just one this season.
Fernandes also worked tirelessly throughout, chasing down lost causes late in the game to try and quickly win the ball back for the team.
It wasn’t all good for the Portugal international, however. His shooting was poor, blasting four out of five attempts off target.
Fernandes’ best moments came early in both halves when United caught Omonia on the break.
It was when the Cypriot team stuck 10 men behind the ball and defended deep that Fernandes lacked the guile required to make the difference, and he struggled to pick out Cristiano Ronaldo.
With the game scoreless, the night became tense, rather than the evening of free-flowing attacking football United fans had hoped for.
Substitute Jadon Sancho ended up helping McTominay to break the deadlock with some neat footwork inside the box.
United would rather have rested Fernandes later in the game, with three big Premier League matches upcoming.
The attacking midfielder has started all 12 of United’s matches in all competitions so far this season, and some of the negative aspects to his performance can be attributed to this lack of rest.
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