CASEMIRO and Joshua Zirkzee are stealing Bruno Fernandes’ thunder after his stunning free kick opened the scoring against Arsenal.
The pair have been credited with some clever positioning, blocking David Raya’s view of Fernandes’ shot.
2
The goal follows controversy surrounding where referee Anthony Taylor set the wall – 11.2 yards from where the kick was taken, rather than the ten yards that the rules stipulate.
This gave Fernandes more chance of getting his shot up and over the wall.
And Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said: “I want to explain why I think this is so hard to stop.
First you have to give credit to the striker of the ball, then I want to look at Zirkzee and Casemiro.
“What they do really clever [is]…
“The keeper [Raya] has just got a nice gap and that’s exactly what you want because then you might be able to get a look at it as he’s struck it.
“But as he gets to the ball, just watch what Casemiro and Zirkzee do. They take Thomas Partey across.
“All of a sudden that gap is gone, so the next time that he’s [Raya] going to see the ball is just after it’s gone over the wall.
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
“Now you have absolutely no chance by then, with that trajectory and that top spin that he’s [Fernandes] got on it, of getting anywhere near it.
“That’s why it’s quite smart from whoever has devised that free kick.”
The goal was a crucial one, coming at the end of a half where United had been on the back foot.
Arsenal made amends, though, clawing an equaliser back through Declan Rice in the second half.
The set piece marks Fernandes’ second free kick goal in his last three appearances.
Man Utd ratings vs Arsenal as De Ligt shows exactly why Man Utd signed him but Zirkzee is as frustrating as ever
IT was a performance that would have pleased Ruben Amorim but a 1-1 draw with Arsenal does little to paper over the cracks at Manchester United.
On a day when the Old Trafford crowd protested the owners, the players stood up to show their remains life in a club that fans say is experiencing a “slow death”.
There was a lack of clear-cut chances in the opening 45 minutes as both sides goalscoring troubles continued.
A moment of magic was needed and Fernandes stepped up as he so often does.
Arsenal’s wall was full of man mountains, but Fernandes found the power, dip and accuracy to beat David Raya with his free-kick – even if the wall was marched 11.2 yards back instead of the regulated ten.
Mikel Arteta’s side came out swinging in the second-half with their makeshift No9 up top, and it took a brilliant effort from Declan Rice to level the scores.
United were able to frustrate them and remain a threat on the counter but eventually had to settle for a point in a much-improved performance.
Here is how SunSport’s Martin Blackburn rated the United performances.
And United employed similar antics for his goal at Everton two weeks ago, with Zirkzee and Harry Maguire positioning themselves very intentionally to block Jordan Pickford’s view.
The England number one was rooted to the spot as the shot hit the bottom right corner.
Before this run of goals, Fernandes had scored just one free kick in his previous 183 Premier League appearances.
Ruben Amorim may not have made much of an impact in the results column, but he does at least have set piece routines on song.
