Bruno Fernandes joked with Keylor Navas that he was only saving his shots after he failed to get on the scoresheet against Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United made it three wins on the spin in the Premier League as they picked up three points at relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest to put them in pole position to secure a top-four place. Erik ten Hag's side dominated the match and should have won by more than their two-goal margin, with Antony and Diogo Dalot finding the back of the net.
Fernandes was sublime in the match but was unable to add to the tally though it was not for want of trying. The playmaker had several efforts on goal but was denied at every turn by Navas, with the Champions League-winning goalkeeper pulling off a remarkable stop to push one thunderous effort onto the crossbar.
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Fernandes was frustrated not to score himself but saw the lighter side with the win firmly secured. "I just said to Keylor [Navas] that today you only saved mine!" he told Sky Sports.
"In the first half the one with the little deflection and the second half an amazing save, another one close to the post. I miss a great opportunity with the header. The result is the most important for me, we want to get points because we want to be in the Champions League next season, we want to be in the top four this season, obviously. I want to get my goals but first the team always comes first."
United's growing injury list worsened further before kick-off as Marcel Sabitzer dropped out of the starting XI after suffering a groin injury in the build-up. Fernandes says it was a bad loss but the fact he had to swap from a deep position to an attacking one to accommodate replacement Christian Eriksen was not an issue.
"Obviously it’s really bad news for us," he added. "That [a position change] doesn’t matter, the most important thing is whoever replaces him does a really good job - that was Christian [Eriksen]. After Fred. He came on with a great mentality, we are not only 11 players so everyone has to be ready, these kinds of things can happen.
"We are one of the teams where the subs have more of an impact in games - if not the most impact with goals or assists, or even during the game, giving some fresh legs to the team. So, I think everyone was ready and we dealt really well with the situation."
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