Bruno Fernandes Is Manchester United's & Possibly the Premier League's MVP

Genuine question: Is there any other team in the Premier League which is so reliant on one player?

I would hazard a guess at 'no'.

At half-time of Manchester United's trip to West Ham United, the scenes on Twitter were of rage, anger and deja vu... all over again. Supporters had seen this performance a hundred times before in recent seasons - only, this display was particularly bad.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men had been torn limb from limb by the Hammers, and the fact that they were coached by the defensive-minded, ex-Man Utd flop David Moyes only added to the humiliation and pressure which was building on the Norwegian coach.

Surely, he couldn't survive this embarrassment.

He's got a trick up his sleeve, though. And that trick comes in the shape of the most demanding, creative and inspirational attacking midfielder in the country.

Bruno Fernandes.

Only a short time prior to kickoff, Solskjaer had confirmed that the Portuguese star would start the game on the bench, and if all goes according to plan, he wouldn't have to step onto the London Stadium turf at all.

45 minutes into the game however, and there he was, prepped and primed, ready for action.

Given just how bad the Red Devils were in that first half, it felt as if even Fernandes' introduction could do little to stem this tide, as West Ham flew forward time and time again, cutting the Man Utd defence to absolute ribbons.

In truth, the game should have been done and dusted at half-time. If it were a boxing match, the referee would have called time on the fight and put the blinded, wounded victim out of his misery.

Fortunately for Solskjaer, those rules don't exist in our sport.

Instead, he was given the opportunity to rectify his mistakes, and threw Fernandes into the bear pit, while probably whispering in his ear, 'save me, Bruno, you're my only hope'. And what unfolded, was one of the most remarkable halves of football we will see from one player in the English top flight.

Fernandes immediately began operating in the spaces in which his colleagues had failed to spot in the first half, drawing opponents out of their comfort zone and pulling defenders from side to side. Now with a man in a position to receive a pass, Man Utd's ball-playing defender Harry Maguire had a free teammate to find, and the Red Devils suddenly became incredibly vertical and penetrative.

It didn't take long for him to make his mark. Running the channels from a Dean Henderson pump downfield, Fernandes was first to the long pass on the right touchline, and moving inside, he found Paul Pogba in space around 25 yards from goal.

What the Frenchman produced was simply extraordinary, and his curling, majestic goal was undoubtedly the flame which lit the touch paper.

But Fernandes was the match.

His willingness and intelligence to work in other areas of the pitch allowed Pogba his freedom, and he took full advantage. Even Pogba himself appeared to revel in his midfield partner's arrival, as the weight of the world fell off his shoulders and onto the substitute's.

Luckily, he's not only an incredibly talented creator - he's also a leader. Fernandes led by example, and demanded the same from his teammates, who eventually followed suit. The almost-equally as impactful Marcus Rashford was found time and time again by the pass-master, and the striker should have added a third when played through on goal by his supplier, but could only hit the post.

At the heart of it all, was Fernandes. He managed to create eight chances over the course of the 45 minutes, for a team that had barely summoned one in the first half. Those eight chances, as pointed out by Statman Dave, were more than any one player has managed over an entire 90 minutes this season, let alone in half that time.

He literally, single-handedly transformed a game that looked out of reach at the flick of a switch.

It was the performance of a man who was signed to carry Man Utd to glory. He may not be able to do it all by himself, but let's face it, on Saturday's evidence, he's pretty damn close to becoming a one-man show.

Wrap Fernandes up in cotton wool Ole, but for God's sake, don't try and rest him again.