Talisman Bru shows worth once again to get ETH out of a tight spot

BRUNO Fernandes was in a delicate state when he left Wembley.

- SAMUEL LUCKHURST

He again spared his manager from a delicate situation at United.

Fernandes was the last player to emerge from the dressing room on Sunday as he required strapping on his hand after an awkward tumble in the FA Cup semi-final.

As fragile as his handshake was, there was no chance Fernandes would be in the stands against Sheffield United.

If United had 11 players of his talent and mentality they would be challenging for the title, not for Europa League qualification.

Fernandes has started in all but one of United's 33 Premier League fixtures and he missed the stalemate at Anfield through suspension.

Fernandes is United's top scorer, as well as their talisman.

An equaliser and winner preceded an assist for Rasmus Hojlund in a rare United victory by a margin of at least two goals.

The match programme featured Fernandes's ten best United goals. His left-footed swinger-winner against Sheffield United would be high up in the redrafted list.

The evening ended so serenely for United that Ethan Wheatley was introduced as the 250th academy graduate to debut for the first team.

Wheatley, 18, scored both of the Under-18s' goals in their Premier League Cup win over City on Tuesday evening and was only allocated a half as he was needed for the first team.

Introducing Wheatley elicited the broadest grin of the night from Erik ten Hag.

For the second successive game, he had to endure a chorus of 'You're getting sacked in the morning'.

Even with this chaotic United side, that never seemed probable against one of the worst defences in the Premier League era.