Practice makes perfect for Fernandes as Man United beat Liverpool in thriller

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed Bruno Fernandes’s dedication to perfecting his free-kick technique as the Portuguese’s stunning strike earned Manchester United a thrilling 3-2 win over Liverpool to reach the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.

Solskjaer handed Fernandes a rare rest from the start with United leading the way in a tight Premier League title race.

But the Red Devils’ talisman came off the bench to win a compelling cup tie at Old Trafford, devoid of the caution both sides showed in a 0-0 draw when they met a week ago on league duty.

“When you leave him out like I did today, he stayed about 45 minutes after training yesterday shooting free kicks so I was pretty confident he could score one if he got the chance,” said Solskjaer.

“He’s never happy with me when I tell him to go inside after training when he’s playing the next day, so he got some practice yesterday.”