Man United captain Bruno Fernandes reacts to Pedro Neto after big Chelsea win
Man United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has responded to Chelsea winger Pedro Neto following his contribution to the Blues’ win over Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
Going into the game, pressure was building on Blues manager Enzo Maresca from the fanbase following a run of poor results and unpopular comments with the club’s supporters.
Consequently, a convincing Chelsea performance in a 4-0 win over bottom side Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday (25 February) will have been a relief for the Italian.
Neto was one player who had a significant part to play in that match, with his reaction after the game also attracting plenty of attention.
Bruno Fernandes reacts to Pedro Neto message
It was an eventful evening for the 24-year-old, who got his side’s second goal of that win when he fired in from a tight angle after running on to a through ball from Christopher Nkunku.
But there were also claims that the Chelsea winger should face a retrospective ban for going to ground after being caught with minimal contact by the hand of Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap.
| Pedro Neto for Chelsea in 2024/25 | Total (as per Transfermarkt) |
| Appearances | 31 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Yellow Cards | 6 |
| Red Cards | 0 |
After the game, Neto took to Instagram to reflect on the game, as he wrote “Important win, thank you for the support”.
His Chelsea teammates Noni Madueke and Wesley Fofana both replied to that post with comments, while there was also interactions from his Premier League rivals.
That came in the form of Bruno Fernandes. The Man United captain is a teammate of Neto at international level with Portugal, and showed his support for his compatriot by liking this post.
Enzo Maresca needs more than victory over Southampton for Chelsea security
Football Insider Verdict
Of course, a convincing victory in a game such as this will lift some of the scrutiny on Maresca at Stamford Bridge for the time being.
However, Southampton have been a disaster throughout the vast majority of the season, so any club would be expected to beat them at this moment in time.
This therefore will not go down as some sort of revolutionary victory for Chelsea that will turn the course of Maresca’s position at the club.
With that in mind, the Italian will still need to deliver these sort of results in bigger games if he is to convince observers he is the right man for this job in the long-term.
He will no doubt then be looking for Neto and others to replicate their performances here over the rest of the season and beyond.