Manchester United mocked Barcelona manager Xavi's pre-match comments about Bruno Fernandes after the Red Devils secured a 2-1 win over the Blaugrana. Erik ten Hag's side staged a memorable comeback victory to seal their place in the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday (February 23).
Xavi rattled the Old Trafford faithful before the game when giving an interview about his opponents. He said while lauding four United players (via Metro):
"He (Ten Hag) is getting all the talent out of his players.You see [Jadon] Sancho, [Marcus] Rashford, the Portuguese guy [Bruno Fernandes]. And look how Fred is playing."
Those words annoyed a fair few Red Devils supporters as they deemed Xavi as disrespectful for not acknowledging Fernandes' name. The Spaniard's comments have come back to haunt him.
Manchester United's official Spanish Twitter account took a dig at Xavi, tweeting:
"THE PORTUGUESE GUY."
Manchester United fought back following Robert Lewandowski's 18th-minute penalty to claim a 2-1 (4-3 aggregate) win. Fred scored a brilliant finish in the 47th minute before Antony hit home a memorable winner in the 73rd minute.
Fernandes was in the thick of things throughout, providing the assist for Fred and making two key passes. He also drew the ire of Barcelona players when he smashed the ball into Frenkie de Jong, who was laid out on the floor.
A melee ensued with the pitbull-like Portuguese midfielder galvanizing Old Trafford. Many United supporters will have been amused by Fernandes' antics since De Jong snubbed a move to the club last summer.
Bruno Fernandes spoke to BT Sport after the victory over Barcelona by praising the fans at Old Trafford. The Theater of Dreams was the noisiest it's been all season and was essentially the 12th man for Ten Hag's side. The Portuguese midfielder said:
“The belief of the team is always there and the belief of the fans is amazing. They pushed us through difficult moments for great comebacks. It is a great result.”
The Red Devils are not only heading into the last 16 of the Europa League. They will also face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday (February 26). Their season is in stark contrast to the 2021-22 campaign, in which they finished sixth and trophyless. Fernandes alluded to this:
“The fans have been with us in the toughest moments, this season we have been really good because they are always behind us but this is something different."
Since making his #mufc debut, Bruno Fernandes (25) is one of just five players to have been directly involved in 25+ goals in major European competitions alongside Robert Lewandowski (37), Kylian Mbappé (33), Karim Benzema (27) and Mo Salah (27) 🔥 https://t.co/22oAd6wi4w
Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United from Sporting CP in January 2020. He has quickly established himself as one of their key players, scoring 57 goals and providing 49 assists in 163 games. The Portuguese playmaker is their vice-captain but given Harry Maguire is out of the team, he is skippering the side regularly.
