"He is our problem; they keep telling me" - Rio Ferdinand on Manchester United star after 1-1 draw against Arsenal
Manchester United legend had a go at Bruno Fernandes critics after the Portuguese played a key role in the 1-1 Premier League home draw with Arsenal on Sunday (March 9).
The Red Devils opened the scoring against the run of play, deep in stoppage-time, through Fernandes. The 30-year-old capitalised on Gunners custodian David Raya's poor positioning to curl home a free-kick.
Ruben Amorim's side improved after the break, squandering multiple chances to double their advantage. The Gunners eventually responded through Declan Rice's 74th-minute equaliser to salvage a share of the spoils from the trip to Old Trafford.
With critics often pointing to Fernandes as the team's 'problem', Fernandes retorted with a tweet:
"Bruno is our problem; they keep telling me."
Fernandes has had an underwhelming campaign by his staggering standards but has still registered 14 goal contributions in the Premier League in 27 outings.
That includes seven goals and as many assists as Manchester United ended the matchday in 14th place, a whopping 36 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool (70), who have a game in hand.
Fernandes could have grabbed a late winner for Manchester United but for Raya's brilliant double save.
"We rushed the game" - Arsenal boss after Manchester United draw
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta rued his side's profligacy in front of goal, especially in the opening 45 minutes, where they dominated proceedings without finding the back of the net.
The Spaniard admitted that his side flirted with a defeat before eventually settling for a draw. He told Sky Sports (as per the BBC):
"When we had the first half that we had where we were exceptional, we didn't test the keeper. We had some unbelievable situations, but we didn't get the last shot or the last pass. We didn't capitalise. We rushed the game. We started to lose duels, and we could have ended up losing it.
He continued:
"Sometimes that is what is missing. The execution has to be in to the right player and the right player to shoot. How we conceded (chances) in certain moments was not acceptable. They have so much quality, and they pick the right player and normally that would end in a goal.
"We opened the gate to lose the game. There was no chance to lose the game, and we opened it ourselves. I will defend my players all the time, but, in those moments, we have to do better."
Following the Manchester United stalemate, Arsenal will look to bounce back to winning ways against PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday (March 12).
