Bruno Fernandes will likely have left Ruben Amorim’s half-time talk expecting the Manchester United head coach’s 15-minute grilling to be the most direct conflict he’d suffer at Goodison Park on Saturday. Everton were leading 2-0 through Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure, having not faced a single shot on goal from a United team devoid of the basics.
However, Fernandes didn’t only lock horns with his boss before the second half got underway but also with Everton legend Derek Mountfield.
The former centre-back was on the pitch during the break to get inducted as an ‘Everton Giant’, having won two First Division titles, an FA Cup and a Cup Winners’ Cup at the club.
But his crowd-pleasing antics after the ceremony didn’t sit well with Fernandes, who wouldn’t have been in a bright mood while staring in the face of a ninth defeat in 13 Premier League games.
According to The Athletic, Mountfield pretended that he was elbowing the straight-faced United players as they made their way out of the narrow tunnel for the second half.
And Fernandes took exception, approaching the 62-year-old and telling him to show his team-mates some respect.
The report adds that the United captain received the opposite. Mountfield is said to have questioned who Fernandes even was in a foul-mouthed response.
It was a damning indicator of the current state of United, who have been public target No. 1 for collective mockery since switching an era of dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson for 12 years of decline.
The Red Devils would’ve ended the day 16th in the Premier League after West Ham United’s shock 1-0 win at Arsenal if not for a late comeback.
But it was Fernandes who got the last laugh, silencing Mountfield and the Everton fans to ensure the visitors bid farewell to Goodison with a flourish.
The Portuguese maestro wrong-footed Jordan Pickford with a precise free-kick won by Patrick Dorgu’s powerful ball carry down the left flank.
Less than 10 minutes later, Manuel Ugarte was wheeling away in celebration, having scored his first goal since leaving Paris Saint-Germain for United in a £50million deal last summer.
United rode the wave of momentum and looked sure to find a third and complete the turnaround to halt Everton’s resurgent form since David Moyes’ return.
However, a winner didn’t arrive, and it almost looked as if the hosts were to snatch all three points before VAR overturned Andy Madley’s decision to award Ashley Young a stoppage-time penalty.
United can only escape mediocrity by winning football matches, and that has been too much of a rarity across the last two seasons.
After full-time, Amorim admitted his side needed to “survive” until next season. Whether a player of Fernandes’ quality will be willing to stick around that long remains to be seen.
