Christian Eriksen made a huge admission about Bruno Fernandes' controversial goal in Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Arsenal and the positioning of the Gunners defensive wall
08:15, 10 Mar 2025Updated 08:17, 10 Mar 2025
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes scored a controversial free-kick against Arsenal
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes scored a controversial free-kick against Arsenal(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United star Christian Eriksen had a cheeky dig regarding the placement of the Arsenal wall for Bruno Fernandes' controversial goal in the 1-1 draw with the Gunners.
The home side seemingly benefitted from referee Anthony Taylor's mistake in the first half, when he positioned the Arsenal wall at 11.2 yards from Fernandes, instead of the standard 10 yards.
When queried about Fernandes first-half strike - cancelled out by a Declan Rice equaliser in the second half - Eriksen quipped: "Very good, happy that the wall was about 15 metres away.
"You saw how far back they were and it was beneficial for us." The fans in the stadium certainly felt uplifted after the goal, reports the Mirror.
Eriksen remarked: "We felt relief from the fans in the stadium after the goal."
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen speaking to Sky Sports
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen speaking to Sky Sports(Image: Sky Sports)
Reflecting on the outcome, which nudged United up to 14th place in the Premier League, Eriksen added: "If you look at the chances, we could have won it. We tried to play on the counter as much as possible which was the game plan."
Following the match, Ruben Amorim lauded his team for competing against an Arsenal side who had challenged Liverpool for the title this season.
Nevertheless, the Portuguese boss stressed that he wished to shift away from such a defensive approach in future games.
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Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I think we did well. Of course we don't want to play like this defending so much and giving the ball to the opponent.
"With all the games and characteristics of the players. [Victor] Lindelof for example without a lot of games. Casemiro is more comfortable in this sort of game.
"It's the opponent. The last game before the Champions League was high pressure by PSV, man to man. they are harder to make in this way. We have some good players in the transition. [Alejandro] Garnacho made a really good game.
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"It's normal. We try to keep the starting XI until the goal. When you suffer a goal, the players tire. We try to choose the best moments to press high.
"When you coach Manchester United, you cannot play too much like that. You have to try to win the game. I know it is frustrating for the fans sometimes.
"We have to deal with that and sometimes do things that are not popular."