Bruno Fernandes has admitted he predicted the nature of Chelsea’s sensational winner on Thursday after he was seen pointing towards Cole Palmer before the forward’s match-winning strike.
The Blues secured a stunning comeback win over Manchester United in the final Premier League game of the midweek fixtures, with Palmer netting twice deep into stoppage time to earn a 4-3 victory.
United looked like they had the game in their hands after coming back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2, but threw away the lead, with manager Erik ten Hag slamming his side in the aftermath.
Palmer’s final goal, his third of the game, came when Chelsea took a short corner, with the England man given space to shoot and doing so, netting via a deflection off Scott McTominay.
Red Devils captain Fernandes, however, explained how his side knew the strike was a possibility, yet still didn’t act to prevent the goal.
Four Manchester United players pointed out Cole Palmer’s run before his dramatic late winner
The forward made a darting run and picked the ball up from a short corner before letting fly
United captain Bruno Fernandes (right) admitted his side knew about the short corner threat
‘We had the game in our hands and we gave it away,’ he told TNT Sports after full time. ‘It’s frustrating.
‘It’s difficult to take. We had good control in the last few minutes, but they got two chances and scored two goals. From the corner we have to be much quicker. We knew beforehand they take corners and throw-ins quickly.’
Television replays showed four United players, including Fernandes, pointing at Palmer as he made his run to the edge of the box while Enzo Fernandez stepped up to take the corner.
McTominay and Mason Mount can also be seen identifying Palmer’s run – as well as goalkeeper Andre Onana – with no away player closing down Palmer until Mount made a late dash towards him.
Other players, meanwhile, including Marcus Rashford, can be seen facing the opposite way to the ball despite not directly marking any attacking players.
A number of players fell to the floor when the ball hit the back of the net, though Fernandes’ comments suggest they should have been aware of the short corner threat.
Palmer was mobbed by his team-mates and took home the match ball thanks to the goal
United manager Erik ten Hag, meanwhile, said his side should have won the game – despite losing it
Ten Hag praised the game itself after full time, but suggested the wrong side won with his team just minutes away from victory.
‘Manchester United dominated the game but we made individual errors that cost us the game,’ he told BBC post-match. ‘We have to learn from it.
‘When you are a Man United player you should already know how to deal with this circumstance.
‘I enjoyed how my team were playing, it was fantastic. We dominated the ball, we dominated the opponent.’
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