Bruno Fernandes paid tribute to the Manchester United fans for being the driving force behind Thursday’s Europa League win over Barcelona.
The Red Devils came back from a goal down for the second time in the tie after Fernandes conceded a penalty in the first half, in an incident he described as “very soft”.
Robert Lewandowski’s goal was cancelled out by Fred in the second minute of the second half before Antony bagged the winner in the 73rd minute, with Fernandes having a key role in both goals.
The Portuguese midfielder explained that, after the first goal went in, the reaction of the fans meant the second was “only a matter of time”.
He told BT Sport: “They’ve been with us in the toughest moments this season, they’ve been really good but this is something different. We have something special between us.
“They see that we are doing all we can to win games. The push that they gave us this evening - Old Trafford was bouncing, that’s why we get results. You get a goal straight after half-time and you know they’ll be behind us so the second goal was a matter of time.”
Fernandes described how coming from behind has been pivotal to this United side as he looked ahead to Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
“The belief of the team is always there, the belief of the fans is amazing,” he said. “They’ve pushed us through difficult moments this season when we’ve made great comebacks.
“The club is made of that, we know in the past we’ve done it a lot. It’s a great result for us and we have a big match on Sunday.”
