Man United boss Solskjaer explains why Bruno Fernandes was taken off vs Liverpool
Last Updated: January 18, 2021 5:42 pm
Man United draw at Anfield
The marquee fixture of the Premier League gameweek played out on Sunday evening.
The clash in question saw Manchester United face a trip to Anfield to take on title holders Liverpool.
The Red Devils actually headed into Sunday’s showdown sitting top of the table, with Liverpool’s recent form having proven altogether disappointing.
As a result, fans of the former likely fancied their side’s chances of pick up the three points against Jurgen Klopp and co., despite the champions having remained unbeaten in their prior 67 league games at Anfield.
What eventually played out on Merseyside, however, was a rather drab 0-0 draw.
Solskjaer on why he took Bruno off
This result, coupled with Manchester City’s win over Crystal Palace later on Sunday, means that it is the Sky Blues who now hold the advantage in the Premier League title race.
United, in turn, will likely feel somewhat aggrieved that they didn’t end up securing all 3 points against a makeshift Liverpool side, especially given the fact that they had some decent chances to do so late on.
Fans may also question why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to take off Bruno Fernandes, United’s best player this season, towards the end of the match, with his side in the ascendancy.
The Norwegian, though, has since provided an explanation for his controversial call, revealing:
“He’s been here and been running more or less every game.
“So towards the end we felt Paul [Pogba]’s physical presence in there might be a chance for us. And Mason, when he gets a chance he can score in the blink of a second.
“So it was a bit of a throw of the dice to get Mason on even though he had to defend against [Andy] Robertson.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explains why he took furious Bruno Fernandes off against Liverpool https://t.co/7OvWqtrXQP pic.twitter.com/hISGUJIs2m
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) January 18, 2021
See also: Arsenal vs Newcastle United betting tips: Premier League preview, predictions & odds
Arsenal vs Newcastle United live streaming: Watch Premier League online
This article was edited by Conor Laird.
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 36 | 47 | 83 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 36 | 28 | 70 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 36 | 21 | 66 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 36 | 22 | 64 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 35 | 20 | 60 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 36 | 22 | 59 |
| 7 | West Ham United FC | 36 | 10 | 59 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 35 | 4 | 56 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 36 | 12 | 55 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 36 | 4 | 53 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 36 | 7 | 49 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 36 | -14 | 45 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 36 | -21 | 44 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 36 | -16 | 43 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 36 | -18 | 39 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 36 | -19 | 39 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 36 | -5 | 38 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 36 | -24 | 27 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 35 | -36 | 26 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 35 | -44 | 17 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 22 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 17 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 17 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 16 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 13 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 13 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 13 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 12 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 12 |
| Wood, Chris | Burnley FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 12 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 11 |
| Iheanacho, Kelechi | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 11 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 8 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 8 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 7 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Andersen, Joachim | Fulham FC | 1 | 7 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 7 |
| Holgate, Mason | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| McGoldrick, David | Sheffield United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 7 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 7 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 8 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 8 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 7 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Eze, Eberechi | Crystal Palace FC | 7 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 7 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
