Just after Manchester United’s heroic win over Liverpool at Old Trafford, Bruno Fernandes spoke to the Brazilian media about the game.
The Red Devils’ star was clearly delighted with the win, and talked about all the factors which helped them get to the semifinals.
TNT Sports’ Fred Caldeira and ESPN Brasil’s Renato Senise shared the interview, and started by asking Bruno how much it means to him to win such a big match that way.
“Obviously you dream of the big stages, you dream of these moments. Sometimes they seem impossible to realise, but I’m living them all. I was one of those who was lucky enough to be here on this stage today,” said Bruno Fernandes.
“I’ve worked hard to be here again, but it’s moments like this that make us players reach the end of our careers and say, ‘I’ve had great moments in front of great audiences’. Or even if they weren’t at great clubs, but I had moments when I enjoyed football to the full.”
The midfielder was then asked about his switch of positions during the match, as there was a point where he seemed to be playing in defence.
“It’s whatever I have to do to help the team win. This… there are no positions. At that moment we had to take risks, we had to play basically man-to-man, which was what the coach asked of us. And he didn’t want me to be so deep at certain moments.
“But I felt it and H, Maguire, often asked me to drop back to help because obviously there was Gakpo and Darwin, two very fast players, with a lot of speed. And at one point I had to jump into the middle, at others I had to drop a little deeper, because my legs were getting tired, I was cramping up everywhere, and I even took a knock to help out (laughs). But it’s whatever it takes to help the team. Because Antony ended up at left-back, Eriksen was also at 6, McTominay further forward. We were all giving everything we had to win the game.”
Regarding Amad Diallo’s late winner, Bruno was asked to describe how it felt to be on the pitch and see that happening. The midfielder praised Old Trafford’s atmosphere, and thanked Manchester United fans for all the support.
“To be honest, I was shouting and I couldn’t hear my voice. So you have an idea of what the noise was like for us on the pitch, with the tiredness, with everything. My lungs were on their last legs too… but it was impressive. I think they were excellent with us from start to finish, even when we conceded a goal, because the next moment we’d create something and the stadium would rise up again and create the momentum we needed.
“They’ve always been like that during the season, and I also understand that there are times when they’re more down, that you don’t hear the noise of this incredible stadium as much. it’s normal, because they’re not used to being in the places where we are. And we’re not either, and we don’t want to be there. And we understand their frustration, so we just have to give everything we’ve got and then they’ll appreciate it.”
Following the win against Liverpool, Manchester United now face Coventry City in their FA Cup semifinal. In case they get through, they’ll be playing either Chelsea or Manchester City in a potential final.
Both semifinals and the final will be played at Wembley.
