Bruno Fernandes has claimed that Jadon Sancho copied his celebration following the duo’s starring role in Manchester United ’s thrilling 4-2 win at Leeds United.
The pair had a hand in all but one of United’s four goals at Elland Road on Sunday, as Ralf Rangnick’s men gave their ambitions to finish in the Premier League ’s top four a major shot in the arm.
A header from Harry Maguire opened the scoring, before Sancho delivered a pinpoint cross which Fernandes headed in from close range to put the Red Devils in control of the game.
But United’s fragility reared its ugly head once again, as Rodrigo and Raphinha scored within a minute of each to level the game within the opening 10 minutes of the second-half.
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The Red Devils were able to claim a vital win though, with Fernandes and Sancho at the heart of the turnaround.
First, Sancho played in Fred, with the Brazilian blasting the ball past Ilan Meslier at the Leeds keeper’s near post.
Then with just two minutes of normal time remaining, Fernandes set up academy graduate Anthony Elanga to seal the three points.
Fernandes and Sancho have both faced fierce criticism for their performances this season amid what has been a challenging campaign for United.
Their goal and assists will have helped to change their perception among some and they both took an opportunity to hit back at their critics through their celebration.
Both Sancho and Fernandes celebrated one of the United goals by putting their fingers in their ears, with the gesture also a dig at Leeds fans, who had mocked the visitors from the stands.
Following the game, Fernandes noticed that his team-mate had copied his celebration almost exactly, highlighting it on his Instagram.
The Portuguese midfielder tagged the winger in the post with the caption: “@sanchooo10 that celebration looks familiar.”
In response to the accusation, Sancho reposted the images, as well as writing the caption “silence em”.
While Sancho provided the assist for two of United’s goals, Fernandes also reserved praise for United’s midfielders following the win.
“That was probably the problem for us,” he told MUTV when asked if complacency had become an issue for United against Marcelo Bielsa’s men.
“We think that we are in a great position, and we start to play a little bit sloppy on the passes, under pressure, and they get away with two goals.
“Obviously, Fred is a player that works hard, and he is the kind of player who does not get a lot of media (attention) because he works hard, recovers a lot of balls.
“He and Scotty (McTominay) are two players who are really important for us in many games. I am really happy for him, also for Anthony who gets his goal, he deserves that.”
The win cemented United’s place in the top four, with the Red Devils opening up a four-point gap on their closest challengers West Ham and Arsenal.
