Two-goal Fred wins Man-of-the-Match award
Fred capped off a superb individual evening by being voted Man of the Match after Manchester United’s 5-0 win over Club Brugge in the Europa League.
The Brazilian netted two late goals and provided an assist for fellow midfield man Scott McTominay, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side coasted into the last 16, prevailing 6-1 on aggregate.
The 26-year-old’s brace – only his second and third goals for the Reds, after an effort against Wolves in September 2018 – secured him 40 per cent of your vote in our Official App.
That was just a single percentage point more than Bruno Fernandes, who opened the scoring from the spot on 27 minutes before helping craft Odion Ighalo’s first for the club with a sumptuous lob to Juan Mata, who squared to the Nigerian.
McTominay and Mata came joint-third in the voting, with six per cent each.
Getting on the scoresheet again for United has been a long time coming for Fred, with the Brazilian drawing a blank in each of his last 53 matches in a red shirt.
Even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expressed his surprise at the former Shakhtar Donetsk man’s new-found sharpness in front of goal, revealing it was something the pair had joked about privately.
“Fred, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be alive for the next time he was going to score, he’s had so many attempts,” the manager told reporters.
“[He scored] one with his right and one with his left. It’s been an on-going joke between the two of us of course, but he got the goals and I’m very pleased for him.”
Tahith Chong, who set Fred up for his second goal, also said how delighted he was for his team-mate.
“It’s amazing for him to get a goal as he does a very good job in midfield, winning the ball and playing it forward,” Chong said.
“For him to get two goals is amazing.”
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