Manchester United have fallen to another Old Trafford defeat having lost 1-0 against title-challenging Arsenal.
Erik ten Hag was seeking a response after the 4-0 hammering at Crystal Palace but it was another blank for United.
Arsenal won it with a solitary first-half goal as Leandro Trossard profited from Casemiro playing Kai Havertz onside.
United showed plenty of endeavour but just didn’t have the quality in the final third to really make Arsenal pay.
14 shots but only two on target; that pretty much tells the story of United’s season.
No Marcus Rashford and, crucially, no Bruno Fernandes; United just didn’t have the cutting edge on the day.
Bruno Fernandes frustrated in Manchester United defeat
It’s easy to wonder how this game could have turned out differently had Fernandes been available.
The United playmaker has been one of few players to come out of this season with any kind of credit.
Fernandes has hit 10 goals and seven assists in the Premier League this season and he could have been the man to come up with a moment of magic to turn a big game.
After all, we saw him do exactly that against Liverpool in April.
Instead, Fernandes was watching from the stands having failed to get himself fit again having missed the trip to Palace.
That was the first game Fernandes has missed through injury for United, but one became two as he missed Sunday’s defeat.
Fernandes will have been gutted to miss out again and even more so as he probably thought the same as United fans; that he could have made the difference.
Manchester World reporter Rich Fay took to social media to note that Fernandes simply ‘couldn’t hide his frustration’ as he sat in the United director’s box.
Fay noted that Fernandes was ‘jumping out of his seat’ watching United go forward and looked especially frustrated when Alejandro Garnacho put one chance over the bar.
Garnacho cut inside from the left flank and space opened up, but he curled the ball over the bar as another United opportunity went begging.
Fernandes hopefully back before FA Cup final
United fans may want this Premier League campaign to end but there are still two games left.
Newcastle United visit Old Trafford in midweek before the Premier League season ends at Brighton and Hove Albion next week.
Ten Hag would no doubt love to see Fernandes return for Newcastle or Brighton, but the FA Cup is the biggest priority.
The Wembley clash with Manchester City is now less than two weeks away and United need Fernandes fit and firing for that game.
Maybe Ten Hag would be minded to leave Fernandes out over the next week in order to protect him for that cup final.
Yet with United in danger of completely missing out on European football for next season, Ten Hag may well need to rush him back into action.
United certainly missed Fernandes against Arsenal and his importance has become absolutely obvious after the last two performances.