Two players in red were busy reenacting a well-known incident as the final whistle blew and the anti-Glazer shouts quickly faded to make way for ℓᴜꜱтy applause to celebrate Manchester United taking another significant step toward Champions League qualification.Despite Marcus Rashford’s guile and speed up front and Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw’s tenacity and poise in the center of the defense, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes set the overall tone, and everyone else had to follow suit.
No one in United’s squad sets higher standards than those two, and there was another indication of that after the conclusion when they got into a heated argument while other supporters of the red team were busy celebrating three key victories over Aston Villa in the race for a top-four finish.
It brought back memories of a similar argument that took place on the Wembley field following United’s victory against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final in February, when Casemiro chastised Fernandes for failing to square a pass to Scott McTominay at the very last second to score. That time, the situation was resolved with wry smiles. This time, there was an embrace, but both incidents—the kind Erik ten Hag enjoys—spoke volumes about the demands they make on one another and the rest of the team.
The two finest midfielders for United had a significant impact on the game against Villa, the team with the second-best record in the Premier League behind Manchester City. When Ten Hag instructed his squad to play high, slanted balls over the top of the opponent defense, it worked so well because Casemiro linked defense and offense and read the game so well.
This was a strong return to form for the Brazilian, who also Һιт the crossbar, after a marked decline in performance level. “He played such a high level, but some games with suspension his rhythm was broken. Today it was the Case we’ve seen all season. His leadership is so important. Others go with him,” Ten Hag stated.
The most notable of them is Fernandes, who has seven goals in eight games against Villa. When he outraced Alexandre Moreno to the ball and scored his 100th league goal from a tight angle after Emiliano Martinez had blocked Rashford’s effort, the Portuguese midfielder’s tenacity and hunger were epitomized.
After the most petulant of performances in the 7-0 defeat at Liverpool, Fernandes faced requests to be relieved of the captaincy he had carried for much of the season in the absence of the official club skipper, Harry Maguire. But his subsequent response has shown both his significance to Ten Hag as well as his moral character and desire to play, in addition to his value. When he suffered the first-half ankle ι𝚗jᴜгy he did in the FA Cup semifinal victory against Brighton a week ago, most players would have been forced to leave the game.
While on crutches, he returned to play against Spurs in the middle of the week. Ten Hag remarked, “He’s so tough. A couple of weeks ago there were questions about his captaincy. It’s cгаzy. He’s such a big leader. He gives so much energy to the team.”
United put up their greatest 90-minute performance in weeks against Villa, who had won 26 of their previous 30 league games. Despite the dominance of Fernandes and Casemiro, Lindelof and Shaw once again showed promise in the absence of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, who were both ι𝚗jᴜгеԀ.
The form of those two will be just as crucial as Casemiro and Fernandes continuing to play at their best if United is to win the league and defeat City in the FA Cup final to win a second trophy this season.