It was no surprise to see Bruno Fernandes come up with a clutch moment when Manchester United needed it most.
Few, however, would have expected veteran defender Jonny Evans to provide the assist for the Portuguese midfielder바카라s winning goal at Burnley on Saturday.
Evans himself thought such moments for him in a United shirt were long gone. 바카라When you get to a certain age you start to wind down your career,바카라 said the 35-year-old center back, who made his 200th appearance for the club more than eight years since his last start.
The Northern Ireland international, who left United for West Bromwich Albion in 2015, rejoined as a free agent in the offseason.
바카라It was never a thought that I would come in and be a starter,바카라 he said after the 1-0 win at Turf Moor. 바카라I was told that my role would be to provide competition and that is how I have approached it.바카라
A spate of injuries saw Evans start at Burnley as Erik ten Hag looked to end a three-match losing run and kickstart his team바카라s faltering season.
Evans was at the heart of United바카라s first clean sheet since the opening day of the campaign and provided a long-range pass for Fernandes to lash home the winner. 바카라We have problems and in this moment a lot is against us: injuries, decisions and we have all seen the examples,바카라 said Ten Hag. 바카라We are very happy to have a player like Jonny Evans in the squad. He comes in and he is calm, composed, has character, a good skill set. When you have things against you, you can bounce back when you have the character in the squad to do that.바카라
It will take more than victory against winless Burnley to prove United has turned a corner, but this was a welcome positive for Ten Hag in a season that has looked in danger of unravelling.
With his team going into the game having lost its last three games in all competitions, the Dutch coach was candid about the importance of the result with pressure mounting.
바카라It was clear. Of course we needed that win,바카라 he said. 바카라We had a tough run of games against good opponents. It wasn바카라t necessary to lose those games. Today was must-win.바카라
United had lost three of its opening five games in the league and had just suffered a 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. The club was trying to avoid a fourth straight defeat for the first time since 2015. That run had come under Ten Hag바카라s Dutch compatriot Louis van Gaal, who was fired at the end of that season.
Ten Hag바카라s problems have been compounded by a host of injuries to key players such as Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Lisandro Martinez, while he has also had to contend with off-field issues involving Mason Greenwood, Antony and Jadon Sancho.
바카라You have to fight and find a turning point,바카라 said the United manager. 바카라It shows the dressing room is together. They fight together.바카라
The win moved United up the eighth in the standings, but it remains nine points behind leader Manchester City, which beat Nottingham Forest 2-0.
Ten Hag can now look ahead to a sequence of games he would expect his side to win to build confidence and momentum.
United has a run of five home games out of its next six in all competitions before hosting City on Oct. 29.
RODRI BLOW
Another win for Manchester City and another goal for Erling Haaland. But a red card for Rodri in the defending champion바카라s 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest has given Pep Guardiola another problem to solve.
The City manager is already having to contend with injuries to key players like Kevin de Bruyne, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic. Now he must cope without Rodri, who will serve a suspension after being shown a red card for placing both of his hands around the neck of Forest바카라s Morgan Gibbs-White.
Haaland바카라s goal in the 14th minute took him to eight in as many games for City this season. Phil Foden opened the scoring in the seventh.
EVERTON WINS
It바카라s taken six games, but Everton picked up its first win of the season on Saturday, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin sealing a 3-1 victory at Brentford.
It looks like being another year of struggle for the Merseyside club after leaving it until the final day to avoid relegation last season.
But after losing four of its opening five games this term, it moved out of the drop zone with Abdoulaye Doucoure, James Tarkowski and substitute Calvert-Lewin all on the scoresheet.
LUTON DRAW
Newly-promoted Luton has its first point in the Premier League after coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Wolverhampton. Carlton Morris바카라 65th-minute penalty evened the score after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde opened the scoring five minutes after the break.
Crystal Palace and Fulham also shared the points in a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park.
