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The Portuguese is struggling to weave his magic despite the team's resurgence and urgently needs to start firing again

When Manchester United were at their lowest ebb earlier in the season, they had to thank their lucky stars they could at least rely on the brilliance of Bruno Fernandes. It was the captain who pulled them out of a hole against Nottingham Forest, when they conceded two goals in the opening four minutes. The Portuguese set up Casemiro's equaliser, earned the foul from which Forest captain Joe Worrall was sent off, and then bagged the winner from the penalty spot.

Fernandes was also pivotal to their narrow 1-0 win at Burnley, scoring a stupendous volley which halted a run of three successive defeats. And after facing fierce criticism from Roy Keane after the dire defeat by Manchester City and calls to be stripped of the captaincy, it was Fernandes who stepped up in stoppage-time at Craven Cottage, firing United to a much-needed victory at Fulham.

The midfielder was often made the scapegoat by pundits for United's troubles due to his body language and his penchant for complaining to referees, but he was never the problem. However, a curious thing has happened in the last two months: United have made huge strides in 2024, winning six out of their last seven matches, but their revival has not been down to Fernandes. If anything, it has been in spite of him.

Getty ImagesNo league goals in 13 games

That decisive strike against Fulham on November 4 was Fernandes' last league goal for United. He has failed to strike in 13 matches since, while contributing just three assists.

He has scored in the FA Cup matches against Wigan and Newport County – one of which was a penalty – and in the Champions League at Galatasaray, but he has largely been on the margins of United's best attacking moves of late.

Instead, Alejandro Garnacho has taken a step forward, notching five goals and three assists in the league since Fernandes' last goal. Scott McTominay has also come to the fore, scoring four goals and adding an assist despite starting just four league games since December and having to make the most of substitute appearances.

Rasmus Hojlund has also been in the mood after his quiet start to life with United, becoming the youngest-ever player to score in six consecutive Premier League games.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesIn his favourite position

And the worrying thing about Fernandes' dip in goalscoring statistics is that he is now playing in his favoured position as a No.10, where he should be at the heart of United's best moves. He has also played more minutes than any outfield player, only missing the match with Liverpool at Anfield as he was suspended.

The injury to Casemiro had left him with more defensive duties, but the Brazilian returned to action in late January, forming a solid double pivot with Kobbie Mainoo which has given United more stability in midfield and a solid platform for Fernandes to weave his magic. He has been unable to do so.

GettyWasting chance after chance

It is not for want of trying, as the midfielder has fired off 14 shots in his last five Premier League outings, but he has only hit the target three times. He is also carving out plenty of opportunities for his team-mates.

Fernandes ranks third in the Premier League for chances created per match, only trailing James Maddison and Martin Odegaard. But he ranks fourth when it comes to wasting chances, sitting behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Nicolas Jackson and Darwin Nunez.

Fernandes has an expected goals total of six per this season, but has only managed to score three times, one of which was the penalty against Forest.

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GettyAlarming drop off

Fernandes' struggles are even more alarming when you contrast his low numbers with the way he began his career with United. The midfielder posted a stunning eight league goals and seven assists in his first 14 matches after his move from Sporting CP in January 2020, dragging United to finish third as they gained more points than anyone else in the league following his signing.

Fernandes followed his debut season with even better numbers in his second, scoring 18 times and providing 11 assists. His contributions started to fall when Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the club, but he still scored 10 times in the 2021-22 season and eight times last season, his lowest tally for United.

He is now on track for his lowest scoring season yet, and urgently needs to build on his measly three goals so far.

Tottenham supporters have been in fine voice in recent times after seeing their side get back to winning ways with victory in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men went into their encounter with Watford at Wembley off the back of successive cup exits, having lost to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and then Crystal Palace in the FA Cup. Yet the North Londoners bounced back in beating Javi Gracia’s Hornets 2-1 at the national stadium on Wednesday, with second half goals from Son Heung-min and Fernando Llorente inspiring the hosts to an 18th Premier League win of the campaign.

As such, there have been many delighted Tottenham fans up and down the country in recent times, although plenty are likely to be very wary indeed of the threat posed by Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United this weekend, who have enjoyed a great week both on and off the field.

And Spurs boss Pochettino will certainly need his best players to step up against the resurgent Magpies this weekend, with £72 million-rated Christian Eriksen (as per Transfermarkt) the man to plunge the North East giants back into the doldrums by inspiring Tottenham to victory.

Ultimately, Benitez’s side began the week with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Watford in the FA Cup, which looked set to pave the way for a testing few days given time was ticking towards the January window, and no business had been done by the Magpies.

Yet a sensational 2-1 success over Premier League champions Manchester City on Wednesday night went some way to bringing the feel-good factor back to St James’ Park, which was then followed by the breaking of the club’s long-standing transfer record to sign Miguel Almiron on Deadline Day.

All in all, the North East heavyweights are somewhat riding a wave of positivity and optimism ahead of their trip to Spurs on Saturday, which suggests that Pochettino’s men are going to have to be at their very best to negotiate what looks set to be a difficult fixture.

But in Denmark international Eriksen, the Tottenham manager has the sort of player that, at his very best, can give Spurs the spark needed to get the better of a resurgent Newcastle this weekend.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed another fine season in North London with six goals and ten assists in all competitions for Spurs, four goals and eight assists of which have come in the Premier League to help Pochettino’s side to third place after 24 matches – once again, a top four finish looks to be in the offing for Tottenham.

But with Harry Kane and Dele Alli injured, the emphasis will certainly be on Eriksen to produce the goods against a Newcastle side that are likely to be well organised and difficult to break down at Wembley – Spurs will likely need some Eriksen magic to unlock the Magpies backline.

But with plenty of assists already this season, alongside a staggering tally of 60 overall in his Premier League career to date, the 26-year-old certainly has what it takes to be the difference once again at the weekend – as he has been so many times in his Spurs career.

Clearly then, Newcastle will provide a stern test to Tottenham given the week they have had both on and off the pitch, which will likely demand the very best of Pochettino’s side to get the three points needed to remain just about in title contention.

And in Danish star Eriksen, the Argentine has a player that, at his best, can plunge the Magpies back into the doldrums after their brilliant week.

Tottenham and Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Cristiano Ronaldo's blowing of kisses to chants of Lionel Messi's name didn't age well after his Al-Nassr side fell to a 3-0 loss to Al-Hilal.

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Al-Nassr were out-classed by Al-HilalMessi chants fill the stadium to annoy RonaldoAl-Hilal opened up a seven-point advantage over Al-NassrWHAT HAPPENED?

History repeated itself at the King Fahd International Stadium on Friday evening. Back in April, Ronaldo found himself in the eye of controversy after he made an indecent gesture following relentless Messi chants by Al-Hilal fans after a 2-0 loss. This time the taunts grew louder as the margin of defeat was bigger and Ronaldo remained an anonymous figure during a relatively quiet evening.

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However, this time around, Ronaldo was more mature in his reaction. The Portuguese soaked in the atmosphere and blew fly kisses to the stands before climbing down the tunnel at half-time, with the scores still locked at 0-0.

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring with a blistering header after the hour mark. But the star of the evening was former Fulham striker, Aleksandr Mitrovic, who netted twice in the final minutes of the game to seal the three points for the hosts.

Although Ronaldo did pierce the net on two occasions, he was given offside both times which further added to his frustration.

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

The defeat to Al-Hilal was a major dent to Al-Nassr's title aspirations as the former went seven points clear at the top of the table. Ronaldo will return to action against Istikloll on Tuesday in an AFC Champions League fixture away from home.

Pep Guardiola's side limped out of the competition after dominating possession but doing little with it before being overpowered in the second half

Kalvin Phillips was given a golden opportunity to play his way back into Pep Guardiola's thoughts when Rodri got sent off against Nottingham Forest, but he did not make use of his first chance as Manchester City were outthought and outfought by Newcastle and sent crashing out of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 defeat.

Phillips summed up City's first-half display, playing lots of nice passes and keeping control but without taking any risks or trying to genuinely put Eddie Howe's side under pressure. Newcastle finally came out of the blocks after the break and played with intensity and bravery and City, especially Phillips, had little response.

It was the first time Guardiola's side have lost a match in 90 minutes since May and arguably the first match that mattered since they were beaten by Tottenham in February. All good runs must come to an end at some point, however, and now City must make their peace with the fact that there is at least one competition they won't be winning this season.

GOAL rates Man City's players from St James' Park…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Stefan Ortega (6/10):

Excellent on the ball, calmly passing out despite opponents breathing down his neck. Made the save of the first half to deny Murphy, could do little about Isak's goal.

Rico Lewis (5/10):

Culpable for the goal, not checking his surroundings when deciding to let Joelinton's cross go. Calm in possession in the first half but overpowered in the second. Came close to a late leveller with shot that just went wide.

Manuel Akanji (5/10):

Looked shaken just after Newcastle took the lead. Solid before then, and picked up the armband from Ake late on.

Josko Gvardiol (4/10):

Made a few sloppy passes, one which gifted Murphy his first-half chance, and didn't command the area well for the goal.

Nathan Ake (5/10):

Too passive in the second half.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Mateo Kovacic (5/10):

Helped control the first half but rarely looked like making anything happen.

Kalvin Phillips (4/10):

Did not take the chance afforded to him by Rodri's suspension. His passing was imprecise and could not fight back Newcastle's waves of pressure after the break.

Sergio Gomez (5/10):

Too ponderous in possession and hardly got forward into good positions.

Getty ImagesAttack

Oscar Bobb (7/10):

An excellent full debut. Worked so hard off the ball and looked like one of few City players capable of doing something useful with it.

Julian Alvarez (5/10):

Not his day. Spurned City's best chance of the first half and barely threatened after that.

Jack Grealish (5/10):

His first start for a month and he looked rusty and uninspired. A shot down Pope's throat was his only attacking contribution.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Jeremy Doku (6/10):

Didn't manage to make much use of his twisting runs and speedy dribbling.

Matheus Nunes (5/10):

Got pushed around when he came on.

Phil Foden (6/10):

Gave City more purpose when he came on but couldn't really help them.

Pep Guardiola (5/10):

Set a bad tone by complaining about City's travel options before the game. Still picked a strong team but didn't go all out to get back into the game, leaving Haaland and Walker on the bench.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri called on his team to 'be brave' after they dropped crucial points against Chelsea at the Etihad on Saturday.

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Rodri calls on team to take responsibilitySpaniard levels game late onDefensive showing alarms midfielderWHAT HAPPENED?

The Spaniard drew City level in the 83rd minute after his side had trailed to Raheem Sterling's first-half goal. The hosts created a string of chances with Erling Haaland passing up a number of opportunities to score. But it was an alarming first-half defensive performance that was foremost in Rodri's mind when he spoke after the game.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT RODRI SAID

"I think we weren’t great in the first half," the midfielder told after the game. "We conceded another easy goal. I think we have to defend better. They almost created nothing in the first half.

"We knew about their counter-attacks and fast players, we have to defend the counter-attack better. From there it’s always more difficult to come back.

"It’s a matter of defending better. We tried in the second half. We wanted the ball and wanted to take risks. We were a bit scared of the counter-attack. You have to be brave."

In a separate interview with , Rodri again emphasised the need for defensive improvement. "It was in our hands and we have to do better individual actions and you can't let the game go this way. I'm not blaming anyone but we have to take responsibility if we want to win the league.
"

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City had been on an ominously strong run of form of late, further boosted by the return of Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne. But Saturday's issues at both ends of the pitch is a reminder of some of the problems they faced earlier in the season where the control of last season's treble-winning campaign gave way to more chaotic performances such as the 4-4 draw against Saturday's opponents at Stamford Bridge in November.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

City have a chance to make amends when they play their game in hand on their title rivals against Brentford at the Etihad on Tuesday night. A win would put Pep Guardiola's men a point ahead of Arsenal and just one behind Liverpool with 13 rounds of Premier League fixtures to play.

A Darmstadt 'Ultra' stormed the pitch and yelled at the dejected-looking players following their 6-0 thrashing at home by Augsburg.

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Darmstadt beaten 6-0 by AugsburgFan berates players after lossRemain rooted to the bottom of BundesligaWHAT HAPPENED?

Darmstadt remain rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga following a brace from Philip Tietz and Ermedin Demirovic, plus goals from Fredrik Jensen and Ruben Vargas. After the humiliating home defeat, one supporter let his feelings known towards the players at full time.

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In the clip, the fan can be seen lambasting Darmstadt's players, who were grouped together on the pitch near one of the goals.

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Darmstadt, who have won just two league games this season, earned promotion to the Bundesliga last May but their stay in the German top-flight looks set to be short-lived as they are 12 points from safety with 10 games remaining.

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WHAT NEXT?

Next up for the Bundesliga strugglers, who were 5-0 down at half time against Augsburg, is a trip to fifth-placed RB Leipzig next Saturday, followed by a home match against defending champions Bayern Munich a week later.

Idrissa Gueye has revealed that Lionel Messi mocked him for watching Everton games on his phone during their time together at Paris Saint-Germain.

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Senegalese star left Goodison in 2019Worked with iconic figures in FranceReturned to Merseyside in summer of 2022GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Senegal international midfielder spent one season working with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner at Parc des Princes in 2021-22. He kept a close eye on events at Goodison Park during that campaign, as the Toffees battled to avoid relegation out of the Premier League.

AdvertisementWHAT GUEYE SAID

His team-mates in France were left a little puzzled by his interest in Everton, with Gueye telling : “It was difficult in the last year, we keep supporting, we believed. I remember [Julian] Draxler every time we lose, he would go 'you see your team, they are not good!' and I would say, 'We will survive' so the day we survived against Crystal Palace he said 'you were lucky' and I said 'I told you'. I told him to come to Everton but he hasn't listened!”

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Argentine icon Messi was another to question Gueye’s passion for the Toffees, but he did get Kylian Mbappe on board. The 34-year-old midfielder, who returned to Merseyside for a second spell in 2022, added: “Mbappe, yeah he would watch. He liked to watch every game. Messi, no. It was difficult for me because we were losing a lot and he would say, 'Bro come on you see your team is losing and playing like this?' but it was funny. I used to send Seamus Coleman, Mason Holgate and Jordan Pickford messages 'Bro, please do it!'. It was important for me to support and show I was there for them.”

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WHAT NEXT?

Gueye is hoping to help steer Everton clear of danger again in 2023-24, with another basement battle being played out. Messi, meanwhile, is now in MLS with Inter Miami while Mbappe is reportedly preparing to sever ties with PSG and complete a stunning move to Real Madrid as a free agent.

Ryan Reynolds has paid tribute to the “one and only” Rosie Hughes after seeing her register goal number 100 for Wrexham’s Women’s team.

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Star striker remains a prolific presenceHelped to secure promotion last seasonClub co-owner is a big fanWHAT HAPPENED?

The prolific 28-year-old forward has made a stunning contribution to the collective cause in North Wales since linking up with the Red Dragons in 2021. She has finished as the top scorer in the Adran North on two occasions, with promotion secured to the Adran Premier League last season.

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Hughes has been showing no sign of slowing down at a higher level, with another effort added to her impressive tally in a 3-1 victory over TNS. That contest handed Wrexham their first home win of the 2023-24 campaign.

DID YOU KNOW?

Hollywood superstar Reynolds, who is co-owner of Wrexham Association Football Club alongside Rob McElhenney, is among those to have saluted Hughes’ efforts are seeing her become a club centurion. The Deadpool actor has called Hughes “the one and only” when sharing a celebratory graphic on social media.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Wrexham boast big ambition at every level under Reynolds and McElhenney, with the women’s team chasing down title glory while the men are hoping to build on their record-breaking promotion from last season by bouncing straight up into League One.

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney hailed Paul Mullin's hat-trick in his side's 6-0 win over Morecambe as 'incredible'.

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Wrexham thrash Morecambe 6-0Mullin scores a hat-trickCo-owner McElhenney praises strikerWHAT HAPPENED?

Phil Parkinson's men went second in League Two after thrashing Morecambe at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday. Joel Senior's own goal got the Welsh side up and running in the fifth minute before Mullin opened his account for the afternoon two minutes later. Substitute Jacob Mendy added an emphatic third in the 35th minute before Mullin scored in the 67th and 77th minute to complete his hat-trick. James Jones rounded off the scoring at the death to cap off a remarkable afternoon – one that co-owner McElhenney felt compelled to comment on.

AdvertisementWHAT ROB MCELHENNEY SAID

When Wrexham got promoted out of the National League in April, McElhenney quipped Mullin was one of the greatest footballers in the world. After his hat-trick, he continued his praise for the 29-year-old.

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Wrexham are now in the automatic promotion spots after their win on Saturday. They are looking for back-to-back promotions and with Mullin back amongst the goals, the Welsh side could kick on even more this season – such is his goal threat.

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham have just a few days to recover from this clash as they take on Harrogate Town on Tuesday night in another League Two clash.

Brazil legend Marcelo has revealed he spoke to former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo about joining him at Al-Nassr before his move to Fluminense.

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Marcelo free agent in FebruaryDiscussed Al-Nassr move with RonaldoBut felt he needed to return to BrazilWHAT HAPPENED?

The pair enjoyed many illustrious seasons at Real Madrid, with the Brazilian eventually calling time on his spell in the Spanish capital back in 2022. But an initial move to Olympiacos didn't go to plan and Marcelo elected to leave just five months later, making himself a free agent back in February of this year.

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The five-time Champions League winner claimed he had ample opportunities waiting for him, including several offers from Saudi Arabia. One of these was from Ronaldo's current employers, Al-Nassr, and Marcelo revealed the pair did discuss the possibility of reigniting their partnership after five years apart. Ultimately, though, the 35-year-old felt an innate longing to return to his boyhood club, almost a decade later.

JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/GettyWHAT MARCELO SAID

Marcelo told the podcast (via ): "We [Marcelo and Ronaldo] talked about this some time ago. I had some proposals to leave, not just there [Al Nassr], but I needed to return here [Brazil], to my roots. Something told me that I had to go back."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MARCELO?

Indeed, the veteran Brazilian completed a fairytale return to his boyhood club. Marcelo helped the Rio de Janeiro side to their first ever Copa Libertadores title earlier this month, after a 2-1 win over Boca Juniors in the final. The full-back will hope this continental success can lift Fluminense in the league, when they face up against Sao Paulo on November 23.