Bruno Fernandes struck twice to help Manchester United open their US pre-season tour with a 2-1 win over West Ham in the Premier League Summer Series, held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Saturday.
The Portuguese playmaker capitalised on two costly errors by West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, sealing victory for Ruben Amorim’s men under intense heat.
United made a quick start, taking the lead just five minutes in. Areola conceded a penalty after a reckless shove on Ayden Heaven, having lost the ball under pressure. Fernandes calmly converted from the spot, sending the French keeper the wrong way.
Fernandes doubled United’s advantage early in the second half following another mistake by Areola, whose poor pass out from the back was intercepted by Kobbie Mainoo. The young midfielder played in Fernandes, who lifted the ball delicately over the stranded keeper to make it 2-0.
Although Jarrod Bowen pulled one back with a clever finish in the 63rd minute and forced a sharp save from United’s Altay Bayindir in stoppage time, West Ham were unable to mount a serious comeback.
Speaking after the match, Fernandes said the win was encouraging despite it being a friendly. “We want to approach every game in the best possible way and build momentum for the season,” he told NBC Sports. “There were moments where we rushed play, but overall, it was a solid performance.”
New $87 million signing Bryan Mbeumo travelled with the squad but did not feature in the matchday lineup. The former Brentford star is expected to debut against Bournemouth in Chicago on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Bournemouth cruised to a 3-0 victory over Everton in the day’s earlier fixture.
After a goalless first half, Philip Billing put Bournemouth ahead in the 55th minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the box. Four minutes later, Dango Outtara doubled the lead, taking advantage of a defensive lapse by Nathan Patterson before rifling a shot past Jordan Pickford.
Daniel Adu-Adjei completed the scoring in the 69th minute, calmly slotting home after intercepting a weak backpass from Jake O’Brien, wrapping up an emphatic win for Andoni Iraola’s side.
