Masterful Bruno Fernandes the star of the show in goalless Manchester derby | OneFootball

Despite the 196th Manchester derby not being the high-stakes affair it’s regularly been in the past, this edition still offered plenty from a tactical perspective.

While it was a game short on quality chances and a contest that didn’t live up to the hype, there was one man who stood head and shoulders above the rest to heighten the spectacle. And that man was Bruno Fernandes, who was unquestionably the man of the match in this 0-0 draw between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford.

At the heart of everything Man Utd conjured from an offensive viewpoint, the Portuguese maestro was superb from his attacking midfield station, where he played the majority of the match in (before finishing the game in central midfield).

‘‘That is clear [how important Fernandes is], but you look at other teams, and they have players who are essential. If you look at Liverpool with [Mohamed] Salah, the difference that he makes. Bruno is our player in that department. He’s doing quite well. Everybody has to improve, and Bruno has to step up a little bit more next year because he has really big quality,” Ruben Amorim stated to the BBC in a post-match interview.

Emphatically underlining his class throughout, it was a joy to watch him wreak havoc for Amorim’s men, as he was a dominant driving force with his sublime passing, crafty ball-carrying and intelligent movement.

Creating opportunities and progressing his team upfield with ease, the way he parlayed vision, incision and execution was nothing short of impressive. Be it carving open City with wicked through balls, wonderfully weighted chips to oblige runners in the area, crisp crosses and cutbacks, piercing line-breaking passes to feet, enticing set pieces, intricate combination play in close quarters and searing crossfield switches to put Patrick Dorgu and Alejandro Garnacho in ideal 2v1s, his distribution was remarkable.

Moreover, how he got finer details spot on, like disguising his intentions with his eyes and body shape to throw off defenders, finding teammates on their preferred foot and scanning thoroughly so he knew exactly what to do once he inherited possession, were extra keys towards his success.

His rapid decision-making and judgement to recognise colleagues was amazing too (which owed much to his aforementioned scanning), for he wasted little time in firing off some extremely difficult-to-complete passes without even needing a first touch.

His nifty dribbling duly elevated his playmaking wizardry, for he embarked on many rampaging runs to propel his team up the pitch. Such a tough opponent for Man City to contain when in full flight, not only was his tidy repertoire of manoeuvres on display, but so was his incredible strength and balance to ride challenges and stay upright when under heavy duress.

Tying it all together with his exceptional movement, this provided him with a brilliant platform to thrive. So awake and aware of openings and quick to move into vacant space and get out of opposition cover shadows, he frequently offered himself as an excellent outlet for his teammates.

Cleverly exploiting the right half space especially when Nico O’Reilly went to pressurise Diogo Dalot and when Ilkay Gundogan was locked onto Casemiro, this saw him smartly get free to form a 3v2 to help United beat the press.

The fact Rasmus Hojlund and Garnacho were often pinning and occupying City’s centre-backs so they couldn’t step up to Fernandes increased the room he enjoyed between the lines, plus allowed him to turn and face to get at City with coveted time and space.

Relishing the freedom granted to him by Amorim to steer the ship for United going forward, City struggled to keep tabs on him, as he took full advantage of this weakness in the Sky Blues’ structure.

Additional menace was caused by his sporadic interchanges with Hojlund and Garnacho, how his positioning generated space for Dalot to utilise on the overlap and via his penetrative runs into the box and in behind.

Illustrating his immense speed of thought and his tremendous technical prowess, this, in alliance with his fantastic footballing IQ and physicality, ensured he was a massive threat to contend with.

Indeed, the way he slotted into a deeper central midfield role for the final 20 minutes punctuated what a versatile, complete and tactically adaptable operator he is.

His tigerish and tenacious defensive output also warranted praise, for his combativeness in the tackle and aggressive harrying set the tone for his colleagues to follow in a match where he chimed in with a host of vital interventions.

By the numbers, his 14 final third passes completed, eight duels won, five accurate long passes (at 100%), five possession regains in the defensive third, four chances created, three successful take-ons and two interceptions aptly depicted what a terrific outing he produced.

One of few who rose to the occasion on the grand stage, his immaculate body of work served as a further testament to what a phenomenal player he is, even though he ultimately couldn’t power his team to glory.

It certainly wasn’t through a lack of trying, however, as he continues to be a shining light in what’s been a season of darkness for the Red Devils and do all he can to get them out of their rut.

Multifaceted, a true difference-maker and undoubtedly United’s best player, he yet again demonstrated just what an integral component he is for this largely underwhelming United.

Seemingly unaffected by the chaos around him, it doesn’t bear thinking about where United would be without him, for their inspirational captain’s just so influential towards everything they do.