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Manchester United made it two wins in two in the Premier League for the first time since December, as they secured an easy 3-0 win over 19th placed Watford at the Old Trafford.
It was a Bruno Fernandes show on the pitch tonight, as the January signing scored the opening goal and laid on the assist for their third goal scored by Mason Greenwood.
Anthony Martial scored an absolute stunner in the 58th minute to double their lead after being dreadful throughout the first-half, while Watford captain Troy Deeney's goal was rightly disallowed by VAR a few minutes earlier.
The visitors looked the better side in the early stages of the game but lacked that edge going forward and Fernandes' goal late in the first half tuned out to be the fatal blow to their spirit and it seemed they never recovered from that shock, as they failed to match United's intensity after the play resumed in the second half.
So, as the Red Devils kept yet another clean sheet in the top-flight, here are the top performers and the flops from tonight's game.
Also See: Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Man Utd move – Bruno Fernandes
Flop: Fred
In the first 45 minutes of the game, both sides were very much into the game and honestly, the visitors looked the more determined side from the get-go.
Though there were not any extraordinary performers from both sides until Bruno Fernandes earned the penalty in the 41st minute, there were two players from the home side who were frustrating to watch and committed a lot of errors, they were Anthony Martial and midfielder Fred.
Martial redeemed himself with a wonderful goal in the second half, showing the amount of potential he possesses, but it was Fred who continued to disappoint.
The Brazilian who signed for the club in the summer of 2018 for £52 million fees, has emerged as one of the first names on the sheet under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but is yet to find his feet.
In the fixture, he was dispossessed way too often and was targeted by opposition players, especially Troy Deeney who closed him down and won the ball back on multiple occasions in the first half.
If not for the lack of decisiveness from Watford in the final third, his mistakes could've ended up costing them a goal in the 32nd minute, as Doucoure's shot was saved by De Gea.
Hit: Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw spent most of his time playing the role of a centre-back tonight alongside Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, in a three-man defence, as right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka made overlapping runs on the right flank.
The English defender showed an excellent reading of the game and held off his position brilliantly at moments to cut-off the incoming balls directed towards Deeney, denying the burly striker multiple tap-ins.
Though his runs deep into the opposition half were limited, he linked well with James and was able to track back as well when required.
Flop: Ben Foster
Ben Foster is usually one of the best players for Watford on the pitch, but it just wasn't his day. After making a bunch of good saves in the early stages of the game, he committed an error in the 40th minute, which led to a penalty for the hosts, which Fernandes converted comfortably.
That mistake resulted in the first goal for the home side, which proved to be the turning point of the game, as it visibly affected the visitor's gameplay.
Though he produced an initial save when Martial ran unchecked into the Watford penalty box, he should not have left his post in the first place, had he let his defenders deal with the player and covered the near post, the goal could've been saved, as Martial was not having a good game up until that point and making him take the few extra touches from a tight angle, would've certainly resulted in a wasted opportunity.
Though it should also be noted that he was not helped much by his defenders, who let him exposed at moments.
Hit: Bruno Fernandes
In his first start at the Old Trafford Bruno Fernandes delivered a dazzling performance. He was running the midfield and each one of his touches was top-notch and perfectly measured.
He inspired other players on the field to get the ball moving forward as well and his link-up play with the forwards, especially Mason Greenwood was eye-catching.
He very smartly won the penalty in the first half when he saw Foster coming off his line. He knew just what he had to do. After winning the penalty he stepped up and converted from the spot to score his maiden goal for the club and dealt a decisive blow to Watford's hope of getting something out of the game.
It was quite apparent the kind of positive impact he was having, as when Fernandes had started joining attacks and that is when United started playing well. He had a hand in all three of United's goals and even set up Greenwood's thumping left-footed effort 15 minutes from the final whistle.
His quality will be crucial for the club as they chase a top-four spot to gain Champions League qualification this term.
