Usually in our post match coverage we run a feature titled ‘Manchester United’s three best players’.
After the FA Cup semi-final, we just could not find enough players to fill it.
That should say everything you need to know about United’s performance in a game in which we lost 3-1.
There was only one player who stood out for positive reasons, and he was far from perfect.
Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes was subject of a succession of fouls from Chelsea players which went unpunished by referee Mike Dean.
Despite this, Fernandes stood out as United’s most dangerous player, amid an admittedly tepid display.
He was constantly trying to pick apart Chelsea’s defence, and tested Willy Caballero in the first half with a well struck free-kick.
Often his passes asked a little too much of United’s forwards, but he never stopped trying.
This was the first time he had tasted defeat in a United shirt. We are thankful of course that it took this long, but it was sad to see the run end like this.
Fernandes still added to his personal goal tally with a penalty consolation.
How did he do statistically?
Fernandes created three goalscoring chances in the defeat at Wembley.
To put this into context, only one other Manchester United player created a single chance, and that was right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
He had two shots on target, although one of these was his penalty, and the other his free-kick.
Harry Maguire was the only other player to force Willy Caballero into a save.
Fernandes had 79 touches in total, a figure topped only on United’s side than Nemanja Matic (90).
For those counting, and it is understandable if you have lost track by now, Fernandes’ goal puts him up to nine goals for Manchester United since signing.
He has eight assists to his name too. Let’s hope there are a few more to come before the season is over.
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