Manchester United are now odds-on to finish in the top four of the Premier League after their comprehensive victory at Brighton saw them stretch their unbeaten run to 15.
The Red Devils were a popular 7/4 shot before the Premier League restart to bag top four spot, but they've been shortening ever since, with their 3-0 win at the Amex on Tuesday, their second 3-0 success on the bounce, saw them go odds-on.
United are now 10/11 with Sky Bet, although bookmakers still have Chelsea and Leicester as favourites to bag the two spots behind Liverpool and Man City.
United's fixture list helps their case, as they now have a nice-lookingun until facing Leicester in their final game of the season.
Man Utd's fixtures
- Bournemouth (H)
- Aston Villa (A)
- Southampton (H)
- Crystal Palace (A)
- West Ham (H)
- Leicester (A)
Brighton 0-3 Man Utd match report
Bruno Fernandes continued his fine start to life at Manchester United as he hit a brace in a comfortable Premier League win at Brighton.
The 25-year-old January signing shone in a 3-0 win, scoring in either half after Mason Greenwood had set the ball rolling.
United had lost on their previous two Premier League matches at the Amex Stadium but set that right in style against a Brighton side surprisingly out of sorts until it was too late. The hosts had beaten Arsenal and held Leicester to a draw since the restart but were never at the races here.
Greenwood would be the one to open the scoring, breaking inside from the right and outfoxing his marker before firing in his sixth Premier League goal of the campaign.
Fernandes would soon regain his spotlight, curling a free-kick over before doubling United’s lead, turning home from the edge of the box on the half-hour mark. There was some controversy as the ball appeared to go out of play earlier in the move but the strike stood.
Brighton boss Graham Potter responded by introducing Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard for the second half. It made no difference to the encounter, however, as United hit their third less than five minutes after the restart.
With the Seagulls taking more risks, Nemanja Matic played a fine long ball to catch Brighton upfield and Greenwood collected in space. His deep cross was finished emphatically by Fernandes, giving Mat Ryan no chance.
Fernandes was withdrawn just four minutes later, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking no risks with the amount of football on the horizon.
Having had almost nothing to do, David De Gea made a fine one-handed stop to tip Aaron Connolly’s shot behind – with Trossard shooting inches wide moments later.
There would be no consolation, however, as United extended their unbeaten run to 15 games and closed back up on the top four.
Brighton 0-3 Man Utd highlights
- Selected clips to appear here
Reaction
Bruno Fernandes believes it is not fair on his Manchester United team-mates for he and Paul Pogba to claim all the plaudits.
The Portugal international has shone since moving to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon during the January transfer window, scoring five goals and registering three assists in eight Premier League appearances.
The three-month enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic has helped the Red Devils, with Pogba returning from injury to join Fernandes in midfield and their relationship on the pitch has got fans and pundits purring.
However, when asked how excited he was about forging a relationship in midfield with Pogba, Fernandes said: “Paul is an amazing player but I don’t want to talk too much about me and Paul because it is not fair enough on the other team-mates.
“Of course Paul has such good qualities and is so important for us and I think we can combine together, we have qualities and we can play together, but also we know we have some team-mates who can do very well when we are out. I think it’s not fair on the other guys if we talk just about me and Paul.”
On his performance, the 25-year-old added: “I was lucky for the first goal but also the keeper was lucky for my first shot – the ball hit the post! So I think I am happy.
“It was amazing. But it was a good job from Paul. In the first goal, the ball came back for me, he knows I will be there to shoot. And the second goal was an amazing assist from Mason, an amazing pass, and I did a good shot.
“Of course I am really happy for my goals, but I’m more happy for the result because the team deserves this and we are fighting for the place in the Champions League and we know we can achieve this.”
Opta stats
- Manchester United extended their unbeaten run to 15 matches across all competitions (W11 D4); only Bayern Munich (25 games) are currently on a longer such streak without defeat among all sides in Europe’s big-five leagues.
- Brighton have won fewer Premier League games in 2020 than any other side (P13 W1 D7 L5).
- This was Brighton’s biggest home league defeat of the season, with their last Premier League loss by a three-goal margin at the Amex coming on the final day of the 2018-19 campaign (1-4 v Man City).
- Manchester United have kept more clean sheets in their last 13 league games (eight) than they managed in their first 40 under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær (seven).
- Manchester United completed a league double over Brighton for the first time since the 1981-82 campaign, with tonight their first away win over the Seagulls since April 1982.
- Mason Greenwood's six goals for Man Utd in 2019-20 is the most by a player aged 18 or younger in a single Premier League season since Wayne Rooney scored nine for Everton in 2003-04.
- Since his debut for Manchester United in February, Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in more goals in all competitions than any other Premier League player (10 - six goals, four assists).
- Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in eight goals in his first eight league games for Man Utd (five goals, three assists) - only Robin van Persie has had more goal involvements (nine) after as many games at the start of his Premier League career with the club.
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka's assist for Mason Greenwood's opener was his fourth in the Premier League for Manchester United (29th app); one more than he provided in 42 league games for former club Crystal Palace.
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