Manchester Untied may not be the same ferocious beast of yesteryear but, still, Cyriel Dessers’ stunning equaliser for Rangers at Old Trafford had a ‘poking of the bear’ sort of feel about it.
And, thanks to the latest of late interventions from Bruno Fernandes, Man United’s famous, creaking home got it’s roar back. Another dramatic, last-gasp European win to add to a collection most clubs the continent over can only dream of.
To think, this was supposed to be a story of Rangers resilience and another unexpected Europa League result against far more moneyed, high-profile opposition.
As Cyriel Dessers’ scored a ‘sensational’ effort with 88 minutes on the clock, his moment of out-of-the-hat magic had the makings of a goal worthy of Rangers folklore. Spinning Harry Maguire, taking down a difficult ball with a touch of pure velvet before lashing his finish into the far corner past a despairing Altay Bayindir.
Old Trafford has been witness to some very special European strikes over the years, and this deserves a place amongst them.
Bruno Fernandes relieved as Manchester United edge past Rangers
Cyriel Dessers certainly did not deserve to be on the losing side.
Heavily linked with a move away – Rangers reportedly opened talks over a January sale earlier this month – and still maligned amongst large sections of the fanbase, this felt like a redemption arc sort of moment from a footballer silencing his critics on the most hallowed of stages.
Well, that was until Rangers left-back Jefte switched off at the back post, and Bruno Fernandes steamed in.
“Obviously, everyone knows the feeling of scoring a late goal at the Stretford End, you know? It’s always very, very special,” Fernandes tells Man United’s in-house media channel, firing past former Red Devils teammate Jack Butland two minutes into stoppage time.
“But today is even more special because we won the game. That is the most important thing. I’m very happy for scoring goals – that is the main thing in football – and I was very, very happy and relieved.”
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Cyriel Dessers’ brilliant strike frustrated Ruben Amorim’s side
By Fernandes’ own admission, Dessers’ bolt-from-the-blue equaliser with just moments remaining in normal time left the Man United players more than a little exasperated.
While Rangers did have their chances – Dessers hit the post before finding the target at the second time of asking – it’s fair to say Ruben Amorim’s side had more than enough golden opportunities to put the game, and the points, to bed far earlier than they did.
“There was a lot of frustration when we conceded the goal [from Dessers], because I think we had full control of the game,” adds the Portugal international. “We should have attacked a little bit more, being more intense going forward, because we could have killed the game earlier.
“We had our chances, we had a little bit of deflections here and there which didn’t go the way we wanted. Sometimes, we need to attack a little bit more because we had the spaces, the time to go forward and we could have created a little bit more danger for them.
“Luckily, in the last few seconds, the goal came for us.”
A defeat at Old Trafford is far from fatal for Rangers’ hopes of progressing to the Europa League knockout-stages, at least.
Win at home to Union Saint Gilloise next time out, and Philippe Clement’s team will be assured of a place in the last-32 at the very least.
