Enzo Fernandez showed exactly what his £125million transfer fee buys as he drove Manchester City to a derby win at Old Trafford on Sunday, helping the team protect their lead while down to 10 men after Phil Foden was sent off, with Erling Haaland's disputed finish proving the winner.
Fernandez, who has a reputation for antagonising opposition fans after once cupping his ears toward the crowd during a World Cup semi-final for Argentina, fed off the hostility of the United support throughout a combative 22-minute spell following Haaland's goal, grinning his way off the pitch when he was eventually substituted.
It was the personality manager Enzo Maresca had been searching for to engineer an away win that can act as a springboard for a new project at the club. Fernandez won two free kicks in quick succession just inside United territory, intercepted a stray pass from Diogo Dalot and drove City forward 25 yards before being fouled, and clashed with Harry Maguire during a flashpoint, as well as almost adding a second goal from outside the box.
Most ground covered on the pitch
By the time he was substituted, nobody on the pitch had covered more distance than Fernandez's 10.2 kilometres. He also broke up more City play than any team-mate, a defensive workload his manager treated as essential alongside midfield partner Elliot Anderson, given United's threat on the break through central areas.
Before Foden's dismissal, Fernandez's role had been more attacking and lateral, the same side of his game he showed when he set up Haaland in Porto on Tuesday.
"Look at our midfield, if there is something they like to do, it is to fight," Haaland said afterwards, appearing to reference one team-mate in particular.
Fallout from a bitter Chelsea exit
Fernandez's first fortnight at City has been a rewarding one, but the ill feeling at Chelsea, the club he left, shows no sign of easing. Sources at City have expressed amusement at reports from Chelsea that Fernandez handed in two written transfer requests to force the move, and was accused of telling the club's hierarchy that his relationships with team-mates had broken down.
There has also been bemusement that the 25-year-old remains such a talking point weeks after the window closed, particularly since Xabi Alonso praised his attitude and application after the £120million deal was completed without incident on deadline day in mid-August.
A year of Chelsea-City tension
The transfer capped what has been a year of friction between the two clubs, starting with acrimony over Maresca's own departure from Chelsea. Chelsea also failed in an attempt to lure forward Bunny Shaw away from City, reportedly offering a £1million contract.
During negotiations over Fernandez, Chelsea are said to have asked sporting director Hugo Viana to walk away from a deal to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, and to have proposed swapping Nico O'Reilly for Malo Gusto, suggestions Chelsea deny. Chelsea, who lost last season's FA Cup final to a clever flick from Antoine Semenyo, announced in April the highest pre-tax losses in Premier League history, at £262.4million.
The club let it be known they could have pulled the plug on Fernandez's move to City after their own pursuit of Monaco's Lamine Camara collapsed. They did not, a decision that has benefited Maresca.
Maresca's praise
"Enzo was unbelievable," Maresca said at Old Trafford, where Fernandez was at the centre of the winning goal after standing in what was a contentious offside position.
City could have avoided the wider dispute with Chelsea altogether. The club had watched Fernandez closely while he was still at River Plate, before he joined Benfica in 2022, meaning the move was not simply down to Maresca's preference.
What City have gained, in their own view, is a player with an innate desire to win at all costs, the kind of competitive edge some have felt the club lacked since their Treble-winning campaign.
