Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes was in game-changing form against West Ham United.It doesn't bear thinking about where the Premier League giants would be without their Portuguese midfielder this season, who signed from Sporting Lisbon as recently as the January transfer window.But even in that short space of time, Fernandes has made himself invaluable to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's set-up at Old Trafford and that couldn't have been clearer than on Saturday night.
West Ham start strong vs Man Utd
The Red Devils once again found themselves needing to come back from behind on the road, falling 1-0 down before the break at the London Stadium after playing second fiddle to the Hammers.
If it wasn't for the woodwork and a goal-saving tackle from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the Champions League side could have been much further behind than the 1-0 scoreline they actually faced.
Tomáš SouÄek was the man who did indeed make the breakthrough for David Moyes' side, arriving at the back post from Declan Rice's flick-on, prompting Solskjaer to roll the dice at half-time.
Fernandes helps Man Utd fight back
Fernandes entered the fray having been left out of the starting XI due to some rough treatment during the Southampton game and in light of the crucial Champions League trip to RB Leipzig.
It proved to be an inspired decision from Solskjaer with the mercurial midfielder, valued at £72 million by Transfermarkt, dropping the most creative performance of the season to spark a 3-1 victory.
In total, Fernandes created eight opportunities, which is the most by any player in a single game in the Premier League during 2020/21, despite only playing for 45 minutes.
Paul Pogba put United on level terms with an inspired long-range strike, while Marcus Rashford, who also emerged from the bench with Fernandes, wrapped up the points with a one-on-one finish.
Fernandes and Telles' celebrations
However, the winner came courtesy of Mason Greenwood, firing past Lukasz Fabianski with a rifled left-footed strike that left Fernandes and Alex Telles unable to hide their passion.
Footage of the United players reacting to Greenwood's strike went viral on Twitter with one video receiving more than 12,000 'likes' and 1,300 retweets in the space of barely 12 hours.
You can check out the footage down below to see just what it meant for the United players to overhaul the 1-0 deficit at West Ham:
Pure passion for Man Utd
Game-changer Fernandes contorts into a star-jump pose with utter joy, before launching a massive fist bump with an alternate angle showing that his brilliant reaction carried on for much longer.
Telles, who is valued at £32 million, gave a more emotional response and could be seen dropping to his knees on the left flank having provided the crucial cross for Greenwood to get his shot away.
Say what you like about this United team, but there can be no denying that they have passion and Telles and Fernandes are exactly the sort of invested individuals that Solskjaer needs in his XI.
And as attentions now turn to the RB Leipzig game, the United boss will be hoping to see that very same passion on display in Europe as the Red Devils strive for yet another win on the road.