Bruno Fernandes Scores His First Manchester United Goal in Win over Watford

Manchester United made it two wins in a row in the Premier League on Sunday, beating Watford 3-0 at Old Trafford.  

Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half, bagging his first ever goal for the club. Anthony Martial added to the advantage with a well-taken goal after the break, and Mason Greenwood also got on the scoresheet.

United had just one win in their last four Premier League outings entering Sunday's match.

The first chance fell to the visitors after a defensive mix-up by United, but Luke Shaw returned just in time to put off Troy Deeney and deny him a good look on goal.

The Red Devils controlled the ball well early but looked a little shaky at the back. Abdoulaye Doucoure had an attempt after a promising run, finding the side netting from a tricky angle.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka fired United's first chance of the match narrowly wide, and Shaw gave Ben Foster something to think about with a strong shot that drew a save. He also denied Daniel James after good work from Greenwood.

David De Gea didn't have much to do in the first half, but he did make a key intervention on Doucoure and also kept out Gerard Deulofeu.

A scoreless half seemed inevitable until Foster took out Fernandes inside the penalty box with minutes to spare, handing the Portuguese star the chance to open his United account. He did just that with a Jorginho-style penalty, continuing his great record from the spot:

He came close to doubling the lead before the half-time break, blasting wide after a quick counter.

Watford started the second half well and found a few half-chances via Doucoure, before Deeney appeared to equalise after poor defending on a corner. Harry Maguire appealed for a hand-ball immediately, however, and the VAR agreed with him, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

And just five minutes later, the goal fell on the other end of the pitch. Martial needed two tries to get past Forster, keeping his composure with his second finish. It was a lovely dink over the keeper, drawing praise from James Robson of the London Evening Standard:

The second goal gave United wings, and they kept coming forward. Greenwood forced another stop from Foster and Daniel James perhaps should have done better with a shot from a promising position.

The Hornets had to push forward, but that opened up space at the back. Fernandes and Greenwood took full advantage, working a chance well to set the latter up for a third goal.

He's having an impressive breakout season:

Both teams made substitutions after the goal and appeared to settle for the result. Maguire had a look on goal after a free-kick but couldn't keep his effort down, and Deulofeu fired a free-kick straight at De Gea. 

Tahith Chong went close to his first goal, cutting inside and narrowly missing the mark, before the hosts took their foot off the gas and saw out the final minutes. 

What's Next?

United host Club Brugge for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League tie on Thursday. Watford take on Liverpool in the Premier League on Friday.