Bruno Fernandes has explained his controversial equaliser which sparked Manchester United 's comeback against bitter rivals Manchester City.
The Red Devils pulled off a 2-1 comeback win on derby day, courtesy of Marcus Rashford 's late winner which came only four minutes after Fernandes drew United level. The Portuguese midfielder struck in the 78th minute, but City were furious with the decision for the goal to stand after Jack Grealish had put them ahead on the hour mark.
As Casemiro swept a ball through to an offside Rashford, the England forward wisely left the ball for Fernandes to run onto, all while distracting the Citizens' dumbfounded defence. However, the law saw no problem with the goal, as Fernandes explained he and his teammates' quick thinking post-match.
"Because I was facing the goal and Marcus probably saw I was in a better position," the Portugal international told BT Sport. "I didn't know if any of us were in an offside position or not but it doesn't have any influence because there was no one closer to him. It doesn't make any influence on the team that has to defend, it is what it is, it's a goal and at the end of the day and we are relieved for that."
Fernandes went on to say: "It's always important to win the game, the manager said to us before the game the opponent wasn't really important, it was winning, and we did it. It was an amazing come back and a great effort from the team.
"I said before the game to the team we look like a team now. Some months ago you could see sometimes a team, sometimes looking out a little bit for ourselves, now you see a proper team and it pays.
City boss Pep Guardiola reluctantly accepted the decision, but noted that Rashford 'distracted their 'keeper and our centre-backs'. Guardiola added to BBC Sport : "Congratulations to United. People will understand how nice Manchester City is. It was a fantastic game. We controlled the transitions better in the second half against Rashford and their fast players. We had the right spirit to do it.
Have your say! Should Fernandes' goal have been allowed to stand? Let us know your verdict in the comments section.
"We were close and we have to improve when we concede the goal, be more stable, the gap between the first and second goal is too close. In general I have no regrets. I don't care if we don't win the Carabao Cup or the Premier League, we'll try. I don't care when a team performs how we play. It was quite similar to the many, many years we've been here.
"There are plenty of points to play for and we have to play there. In every game we have to perform. We always play in these sort of games and in others we struggle a little bit."
