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Bruno Fernandes declared Manchester United must make winning a habit after their revival gathered pace with a 3-1 victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
Despite being under pressure for long periods, United dealt the Gunners their first defeat of the campaign after Marcus Rashford followed up Antony’s debut strike with a second-half brace, with Fernandes laying on the England international’s first.
Since Fernandes made his Premier League debut in February 2020, he has recorded 26 assists in the competition – only Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne (29) has teed up more goals in that time.
Meanwhile, United’s four-match winning sequence is their longest in the Premier League since last April (a run of five) and has provided welcome relief for Erik ten Hag after he lost his first two games at the helm.
Speaking to the club’s media channels, Fernandes called on United to continue their improved form as he declared: “It has to become a habit.
“We know that, playing for this club, [winning] has to be a habit.
“We have to do that. We know that sometimes we get a result, sometimes we don’t, but the fight and the spirit and the togetherness has to always be there to get three points.”
United came away with the victory despite managing less than 40 per cent possession against Mikel Arteta’s side, and Fernandes was delighted by the resilience the hosts showed.
“I thought everyone was compact,” United’s stand-in captain added.
“The togetherness was there, the fighting spirit and everything, and that’s why we get the three points and that’s why we have a performance like that.
“Sometimes you have to be deep, you have to defend, you have to defend your own box because the other team has quality and can cause you problems.
“If you do like we did today, you don’t concede many and you score more than them.
“We know we can be a threat on the counter-attack, and we can also play a little bit more and we have to play a little bit more, we know that.”
Ten Hag will get his first taste of continental competition in the United dugout when the Red Devils host Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday, with a Premier League trip to Crystal Palace to follow three days later.
