Bruno Fernandes scored arguably his best goal for Manchester United with an outrageous strike from miles out to equalise against Liverpool. The Red Devils midfielder pulled off an audacious lob to beat Caoimhin Kelleher from range and send Old Trafford into raptures shortly after the break.
Liverpool had taken an early lead through Luis Diaz in the first half, with the visitors fully dominant in the opening 45 minutes. United had failed to register a single shot on goal before Fernandes levelled the scores with a ridiculous finish from close to the halfway line.
Five minutes into the second half, Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah gave the ball away with a loose pass across the back line. It fell to the feet of Fernandes, who looked up and rifled home a brilliant lob after noticing that Kelleher was stood on the edge of his penalty area.
The Liverpool stopper was left clawing at thin air as Fernandes’ effort sailed over him and bounced into the back of the net. It sparked wild celebrations in the stands at Old Trafford, with the away end left stunned into silence as the Portuguese maestro wheeled away to bask in his glory.
He was stood inside the centre circle when he unleashed his unstoppable strike, which marked his 50th goal in the Premier League since joining United four years ago. He is unlikely to score many better, with the goal likely to be replayed whenever the Red Devils face Liverpool for many seasons to come.
Gary Neville, who was on punditry duties for Sky Sports, said: “Oh my goodness. Shot number one, goal number one. A difficult moment for the young centre-back [Quansah] but there is no pressure. I’ve just been saying it’s been such an easy game for Liverpool and then this happens. Let the chaos begin.”
Fellow analyst Jamie Carragher added: “The only way United were going to get back into the game is if Liverpool were sloppy and that’s exactly what has just happened. It is an outrageous finish from Bruno Fernandes, absolute world-class quality. But Liverpool again, like the FA Cup game, have only got themselves to blame.”
United were thoroughly outplayed in the first half, with Liverpool turning the screw before drawing first blood when Diaz found the back of the net. The leveller from Fernandes breathed new life into the Red Devils, who took the lead when Kobbie Mainoo fired into the top corner, before Mohamed Salah made it two goals apiece from the penalty spot with just six minutes remaining.
