- Manchester United took all three points against Chelsea on Saturday
- Garnacho was at fault for Cunha goal
- Goldbridge mocks former United player with Man of the Match accolade
Stamford Bridge played host to a top five battle on Saturday (18 April) as Manchester United edged past Chelsea.
The narrow 1-0 win all but secures the Red Devils’ place in next season’s Champions League. The Blues were aggressors in their home turf for the majority of the night.
However, a solid defensive display for what was a makeshift defence capped off an important three points.
Garnacho ‘Given’ Man of the Match Award
The official Player of the Match performance was given to Bruno Fernandes by TNT Sports. The United captain provided the assist for the only goal of the game in the first half.
Alejandro Garnacho had an evening to forget at Stamford Bridge, as he failed to defend the pass that ultimately led to Cunha’s finish. By being a bit stronger against the United, he could have blocked off the costly goal which drifts Chelsea further away from a top five finish.
Speaking on The United Stand‘s match reaction video, Mark Goldbridge gave his assessment of the game. In good spirits, Goldbridge had a more sarcastic approach to the award.
He said: “We’ve got give a shout out to the Man of the Match, he’s had a lot of stick this season. Some people don’t like him, some people still want to give him a chance. Personally I think it was the best decision we made in the summer, definitely Manchester United’s Man of the Match.”
The former United academy product was unexpectedly introduced to the game in the 16th minute, when Estevao was injured. He contested against Diogo Dalot on the night, who was essentially a mentor for the 21-year-old when he was at Old Trafford.
Goldbridge continued: “The minute Estevao got injured and he came on he had a massive part to play in the first goal. That crap tackle on Bruno that let him in. And then for the rest of the game, he basically did nothing. It was like playing against 10 men.
“He was fantastic for Manchester United today. And also the fact that we got paid £40m to get rid of him. Incredible, fair play to [Ruben] Amorim, fair play to [Jason] Wilcox.”
Sweet Victory Against Former Star
Goldbridge had praise for the actual Player of the Match, who has been United’s pillar in recent years. The YouTuber reviews Fernandes’ performance too, stating that he got “another big assist”. In his eyes, an uncharacteristic approach by the Portuguese was only reserved for Garnacho, who left the club on a sour note last summer. Goldbridge said: “Bruno doesn’t take people on, but when he sees Garnacho he knows his weaknesses.
The 1-0 win felt like a double win on the night. Champions League football is becoming a reality, and getting one over Garnacho was the cherry on top. Earlier in the week, the Argentine confessed his love for his former club, which would not have gone down well with Chelsea fans. It is shaping up to become a terrible debut season for Garnacho in West London. He may even find himself moving on this summer.
Ultimately, United are on the verge of rejoining Europe’s elite for the 2026/27 season. Even if the performance itself was a bit of a grind, the three points felt incredibly sweet once the final whistle blew. And of course, it felt even better knowing they got a cheeky helping hand from an old friend to get the job done.
