28 January 2024 , 19:56
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Bruno Fernandes was furious with Alejandro Garnacho after the Manchester United winger spurned a golden chance in the early stages of Sunday's 4-2 win over Newport County.
Erik ten Hag's side managed to avoid a major upset against the League Two outfit but it was from a comfortable afternoon's work for the Red Devils, who were two goals to the good inside 13 minutes courtesy of Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo.
But Newport hit back through Bryn Morris late in the first-half before top scorer Will Evans restored parity shortly after the break. Antony and Rasmus Hojlund spared United's blushes in the second-half.
With United 2-0 up and cruising, Fernandes could be seen venting his frustrations after Garnacho opted to shoot rather than square the ball with the United skipper and Hojlund lurking in the box. And Danny Murphy, who was commentating on the game for BBC Sport, felt that Fernandes had every right to show his frustrations.
Murphy said on commentary: "Fernandes is fuming and I think he’s right. If Garnacho squares that then Fernandes has a tap-in and the game is done. It’s a bit greedy. If Garnacho squares it, it’s a goal, 3-0, and it’s game over. 10 minutes later, it’s game on [after Newport scored to make it 2-1]."
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Although it seemed as though Garnacho's greed would come back to haunt Manchester United following Newport's spirited fightback, Ten Hag's men persevered to book their spot in the fifth round of the FA Cup, which is now their only realistic chance of silverware this season.
United will face either Bristol City or Nottingham Forest in the next round in February depending on who is victorious in their respective replay.
Join the debate! What did you make of Man Utd's performance v Newport? Let us know here.
Fernandes was on target for United, who ran out 4-2 winners over Newport (Getty Images)Reacting to the win, Fernandes admitted that the performance was not perfect and even referenced the chances United spurned - such as the one involving Garnacho - in his post-match assessment.
The United captain did, however, laud the job he and his teammates did in closing out the match. He said: "Obviously it was not the result that we wanted. We got the win that we wanted, but the result was not the perfect one for us. We didn't want to concede goals. The first one was great from them, an unbelievable shot.
"We had chances to make it 3-0 but, when you go 2-0 up in these types of games, everyone wants to score and get their goal and sometimes we don't get the best decision for the team. I think after that we did a great job to close the game."