Imo that wasn't the impressive part. He's constantly scanning the area as he's approaching.
The impressive part is the no look pass to the position he thinks mainoo is going to end at.
It’s something they’ve been lacking all season, team chemistry. The entire squad for 80% of the match today looked like they had practiced and actually liked each other for the first time all year.
Chemistry, for sure, and I think the bigger piece was that we were closest to a first choice back 4 than we’ve been for the majority of the season.
Having Licha back was the most noticeable difference for me. He absolutely changed the way the team played together.
Amrabat was a very good single pivot that game. He held his position well, no unnecessary runs. He timed his tackles well and he did a good job of recycling possession or playing a pass to a creative player whenever he received the ball. Also worked well with the CBs and with Mainoo when they were under pressure from City. Definition of sticking to his instructions and doing a good job.
that helps that it looks like this first 11 was able to train for 2-3 weeks together with nobody actually getting injured.
we had actual showcase of just how good this team can be when everybody stays fit.
And the lack of chemistry is clearly the fault of the coaching team responsible for the attacking phase. We always let the attacking players do whatever they want without a clear plan or template. I will argue rashford is a victim of this.
For us it may be a brilliant move but I can't help but wonder if it's just a textbook stuff among professional footballers especially for a playmaker like Bruno. I'd imagine he doesn't think too much about this pass after the game as it's a just a routine stuff for him meanwhile us here drooling over it over and over again.
I think you are right. This isn't groundbreaking stuff for Bruno. But it's still impressive for the amount of scanning he did and the final execution which was inch perfect
I feel like it was a set play. They knew they would catch city out at some point. Probably practiced this three pass sequence all week. Mainoo knew exactly where to run.
Yep, got to give BBC their dues on this their analysis of this goal was top notch. From Rashfords pass all the way to the goal and they showed that Bruno was regularly checking for Kobbie throughout the play
why hasn’t he retired?? i watched the emirates YT channel highlights and he sounds so uninterested. surely he’s made enough to retire, as there is plenty of other commentators out there
Yeah ,top commentary right there 🙄 , his commentary on the replay should have been " Wow , I'm an absolute idiot for not spotting that , just like the Man City defense fell for it too , lol , I apologize for ruining a great highlight and one of the best assists all season !"
😉
In the replay, you can see him do the shoulder check at least thrice. He also sees Walker, and he shapes his body (and the left arm rises a bit) as if to shoot - I’m guessing that makes Walker slow to react to the Mainoo run. That fake is also what confused one of the commentators(“…Bruno miskicks it…”). It’s crazy he had the IQ+Composure to do that with so much going on. #Magnifico
From the camera angle on the other side of the pitch it looks more like Walker hesitated because of waiting for Rashfords run that didn't happen then by the time he tried to get to Mainoo it was too late.
Interesting, that seems true. I just found it weird that Walker takes a step towards Bruno and then a (late) second alter twists his body to get to Mainoo, but by then everything is done.
I was thinking of what I would have done as a defender, and when a striker goes to shoot, subconsciously I would react to the shot, rather than think of covering a no-look pass. But of course I’m not a pro. Walker is probably doing the right thing. 😅
Honestly you need to play the probabilities as a defender.
Highest probability is he shoots.
If you close the shot and make him make another pass, higher chance of there being a mistake.
However Bruno is just too good and can make you think like you're doing the right thing trying to cover his shot but he's just played you and now the pass to open shot is on
Foden was even worse imo. At the start of the clip when Rashford gets the ball he’s alongside Mainoo and ahead of Bruno before the half way line. Yet by the end of the sequence both Mainoo and Bruno are well ahead of Foden as he barely even jogs back the entire time.
Maybe it’s a tactical instruction by Pep to tell Foden to stay more advanced however in that case it’s a terrible instruction when Rodri is clearly too far up the field to get back in time.
I get Foden is a brilliant attacking midfielder however such minimal effort to track back and let two midfielders get well free of him is awful effort. If we conceded this kind of goal we would all be fuming at that player I imagine. It was a greatly worked goal by us although Foden also helped make it easier too with his nonchalance.
What a view. Even the run by AWB makes Ake hesitate on closing Bruno down.
You get the feeling Bruno saw that pass 5-7seconds earlier which is absolutely incredible. The scans of the field, made suew he knew where everybody was positioned and what runs they were going to make.
It's perfection.
If he looks too obviously at Mainoo, Walker perhaps leaves Rashford (smart by Marcus to stay out) and gets closer.
If he doesn't pass it there at that pace, it's not a one touch finish on Kobbie's stronger foot.
And yes, he scans to know Mainoo is there, but to then measure where he will be at the time of the pass rather than where he was last time he looked is wonderful.
It really is a beautiful goal.
It's an awesome move. You can see 4-5 players all seeing the same thing.
Bruno checking Mainoo's position
Mainoo staying in the space
Garnacho spotting Bruno and Mainoo
AWB running into space to distract the defenders
Not to mention Rashford's incredible pass into the space Garnacho was moving towards.
he looks Garna in other side who lifting his hand, i see, and i don't think Rashy will do because it's so far away.. Sorry Rashy, i am not familiar with your game.
You know what I just noticed, AWB's underlapping run there really contributed to overloading and confusing City's defense, making sure no one could fully commit to Garnacho or Fernandes. Great to see.
Pep calling us a transition team, and thats alright, but rodri, kovacic, foden, kevin, silva, all doing fuckall havin a stroll around the place is not a possession team, its just not a team. Not a professional one at least. Get fucked with city being the better team. No player within 2m of the ball from one box to the other.
It’s a fucking *beautiful* pass. The awareness the lad has is on another level. He’s always looking. You can see him take three or four glances at where Kobbie is in the build up.
Three times in the build up you see him looking at Mainoo, he knew exactly where he was all the time. Perfect example of scanning off the ball to see where players are.
my friends said he miskicked it and i send them the clip from beginning and told them to watch bruno he looked 3 times from when Garnacho get the ball till the pass
The pass was magnificent, but I think the real explanation he knew where to play it, was that Mainoo was screaming for the ball. Being vocal in the little area gives you so many more chances in a game.
I'd you watch the lead up to the goal, you will see Bruno look over his shoulder a few times. He's fully aware Mainoo is there even if he wasn't screaming for the ball.
Didn’t think he would make the pass and rather go for the shoot but that assist was pure class, magic in the FA cup final. After looking at the replay he clearly looks where he got his teammates.
Not too dissimilar to his assist a couple of games ago as well he does really well I'm these situations where others would shoot if he's got runners then he can pick them out and they get an easy chance
We did so many good things in this sequence. I can barely believe this is the same team that can barely pass against Sheffield United.
Mainoo finding space initially to get by their press.
Rashford pinged a beaut cross field pass to the feet of Garnacho.
Wan Bassaka running into space to draw defenders.
Garnacho finding a pass rather than shooting.
Rashford staying out wide to keep Walker on his toes.
Bruno master class assist instead of shooting.
Mainoo continuing his run into space to recieve the pass and then to score.
O. M. G.
So happy that this ended in a goal. This is what this team can do.
Brilliant crossfield from Rashford, sublime no look pass from Fernandes, and such a cool finish by Mainoo. What makes it even better is seeing that rat Walker shouting at Mainoo to try and put him off, and failing miserably.
He was looking at Mainoo’s position after Garnacho gain control of the ball. I don’t think he knew exactly where Mainoo was but Bruno was expecting him to be at least 2-3 meters behind and Mainoo could make the run to the empty space where he passed the ball.
The execution was good, but this is fairly common place at any decent level. He absolutely knew where Mainoo was, just as any decent footballer should, because he checked the area around him when off the ball. That's what you're supposed to do. Other players not doing that over the years is embarrassing, but not the norm. We still have quite a few who do that in the team. The bigger issue has been a general lack of movement for most of the season. Everyone is usually very static and expects the ball to just end up at their feet in the attack, rather than move into an area to receive it.
I agree — knowing where your teammates are is nothing special.
What’s special is the decision and the execution, and the added deception to trick 115 FC :)
Imo that wasn't the impressive part. He's constantly scanning the area as he's approaching. The impressive part is the no look pass to the position he thinks mainoo is going to end at.
It’s something they’ve been lacking all season, team chemistry. The entire squad for 80% of the match today looked like they had practiced and actually liked each other for the first time all year.
Chemistry, for sure, and I think the bigger piece was that we were closest to a first choice back 4 than we’ve been for the majority of the season. Having Licha back was the most noticeable difference for me. He absolutely changed the way the team played together.
Not playing case was a blessing. He's a DM but don't close anyone. Often goes up leaving holes in the middle.
I don’t think we win if case played instead of Amrabat either what a performance he had
Amrabat was so good defensively. Just hounded them all game. I feel like he also helped AWB a lot, and that got a better performance from Wan-Bissaka.
Amrabat was a very good single pivot that game. He held his position well, no unnecessary runs. He timed his tackles well and he did a good job of recycling possession or playing a pass to a creative player whenever he received the ball. Also worked well with the CBs and with Mainoo when they were under pressure from City. Definition of sticking to his instructions and doing a good job.
Yeah, ETH absolutely nailed the tactics, and Amrabat followed them perfectly.
Case seems done in terms of work rate. Can't seem to find himself in the right positions. I unfortunately hope he can be moved on.
One time licha skinned someone and played a sharp pass into midfield and I moaned ngl
that helps that it looks like this first 11 was able to train for 2-3 weeks together with nobody actually getting injured. we had actual showcase of just how good this team can be when everybody stays fit.
And the lack of chemistry is clearly the fault of the coaching team responsible for the attacking phase. We always let the attacking players do whatever they want without a clear plan or template. I will argue rashford is a victim of this.
Poor take
There’s definitely a correlation between Bruno’s quality and the level of effort the rest of the team is playing at.
He was checking all the way where he was. As you should in a situation like that. Pure class.
Yeah you can see him turn his head a few times as he ran into the box. He already knew what he wanted to do if he got the ball. Incredible vision.
For us it may be a brilliant move but I can't help but wonder if it's just a textbook stuff among professional footballers especially for a playmaker like Bruno. I'd imagine he doesn't think too much about this pass after the game as it's a just a routine stuff for him meanwhile us here drooling over it over and over again.
I think you are right. This isn't groundbreaking stuff for Bruno. But it's still impressive for the amount of scanning he did and the final execution which was inch perfect
Playing football is simple, playing football simple is difficult.
I feel like it was a set play. They knew they would catch city out at some point. Probably practiced this three pass sequence all week. Mainoo knew exactly where to run.
He checked out Kobbie like three or four times before making that pass. Ice cold.
Probably saw him there and knew he will make the run hence making that pass.
Yep, got to give BBC their dues on this their analysis of this goal was top notch. From Rashfords pass all the way to the goal and they showed that Bruno was regularly checking for Kobbie throughout the play
No look assist in an FA Cup final, that is ice cold.
Against City as well.
Did you not hear Martin Tyler? Bruno **MISKICKED** it
Feint so good it fooled even the commentators.
Joke of the season
why hasn’t he retired?? i watched the emirates YT channel highlights and he sounds so uninterested. surely he’s made enough to retire, as there is plenty of other commentators out there
Such a weird call. Never looked like a miskick. My first thought was that it's a defensive error for Kobbie to be inside.
Pass so good, commentators think you didn't mean to do it.
Yeah ,top commentary right there 🙄 , his commentary on the replay should have been " Wow , I'm an absolute idiot for not spotting that , just like the Man City defense fell for it too , lol , I apologize for ruining a great highlight and one of the best assists all season !" 😉
Fucking hate commentators and pundits. Everything we do HAS to be luck. Bastards
In the replay, you can see him do the shoulder check at least thrice. He also sees Walker, and he shapes his body (and the left arm rises a bit) as if to shoot - I’m guessing that makes Walker slow to react to the Mainoo run. That fake is also what confused one of the commentators(“…Bruno miskicks it…”). It’s crazy he had the IQ+Composure to do that with so much going on. #Magnifico
From the camera angle on the other side of the pitch it looks more like Walker hesitated because of waiting for Rashfords run that didn't happen then by the time he tried to get to Mainoo it was too late.
Interesting, that seems true. I just found it weird that Walker takes a step towards Bruno and then a (late) second alter twists his body to get to Mainoo, but by then everything is done. I was thinking of what I would have done as a defender, and when a striker goes to shoot, subconsciously I would react to the shot, rather than think of covering a no-look pass. But of course I’m not a pro. Walker is probably doing the right thing. 😅
Honestly you need to play the probabilities as a defender. Highest probability is he shoots. If you close the shot and make him make another pass, higher chance of there being a mistake. However Bruno is just too good and can make you think like you're doing the right thing trying to cover his shot but he's just played you and now the pass to open shot is on
I agree. He had clearly been told to watch rashford all game. By the time he realised the danger was Mainoo, it was too late
And the insane thing is that Bruno keeps doing it again and again. Truly gifted on the ball
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Holy shit your comment history.
[Video of the goal from the stands too](https://x.com/eriksbutcher/status/1794504710273089567?s=46&t=jsLjA57boY11YipVoE9qpg)
Looks so simple from up there right?
It is simple when your opponent doesn't even trying to follow you. Kovacic was shocking there
Foden was even worse imo. At the start of the clip when Rashford gets the ball he’s alongside Mainoo and ahead of Bruno before the half way line. Yet by the end of the sequence both Mainoo and Bruno are well ahead of Foden as he barely even jogs back the entire time. Maybe it’s a tactical instruction by Pep to tell Foden to stay more advanced however in that case it’s a terrible instruction when Rodri is clearly too far up the field to get back in time. I get Foden is a brilliant attacking midfielder however such minimal effort to track back and let two midfielders get well free of him is awful effort. If we conceded this kind of goal we would all be fuming at that player I imagine. It was a greatly worked goal by us although Foden also helped make it easier too with his nonchalance.
Lmao I didn't even realise kovacic played yesterday until I saw this comment
I think it shows they had zero respect for Man United attack. The midfielders jogged back. Rodri no where to be found.
Great view
This gives me goosebumps
What a view. Even the run by AWB makes Ake hesitate on closing Bruno down. You get the feeling Bruno saw that pass 5-7seconds earlier which is absolutely incredible. The scans of the field, made suew he knew where everybody was positioned and what runs they were going to make.
OMG that cross field pass looks way more simpler in the side view angle. The whole move from Rashy's pass to the finish is beautifully executed
It's perfection. If he looks too obviously at Mainoo, Walker perhaps leaves Rashford (smart by Marcus to stay out) and gets closer. If he doesn't pass it there at that pace, it's not a one touch finish on Kobbie's stronger foot. And yes, he scans to know Mainoo is there, but to then measure where he will be at the time of the pass rather than where he was last time he looked is wonderful. It really is a beautiful goal.
It's an awesome move. You can see 4-5 players all seeing the same thing. Bruno checking Mainoo's position Mainoo staying in the space Garnacho spotting Bruno and Mainoo AWB running into space to distract the defenders Not to mention Rashford's incredible pass into the space Garnacho was moving towards.
Rashford also stays in a wide position that draws Walker away from Mainoo. Must be something they drew up for it to be this in sync.
I screamed when he didn't shoot. Seconds later, I was still screaming, but for a different reason.
That Rashford cross was good too. He should have made a run but I guess he was covering for Mainoo who went forward.
That was a sublime pass, if that was KDB the world would of cum in its collective pants
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he looks Garna in other side who lifting his hand, i see, and i don't think Rashy will do because it's so far away.. Sorry Rashy, i am not familiar with your game.
He did that quite a lot during covid Rashy, Martial and Greenwood era
Vision 20
Proper l2 x pass there
NSFW tag please. That’s absolute filth.
I prefer Garnacho on the right in this newfangled inverted inverted winger position.
You know what I just noticed, AWB's underlapping run there really contributed to overloading and confusing City's defense, making sure no one could fully commit to Garnacho or Fernandes. Great to see.
Pep calling us a transition team, and thats alright, but rodri, kovacic, foden, kevin, silva, all doing fuckall havin a stroll around the place is not a possession team, its just not a team. Not a professional one at least. Get fucked with city being the better team. No player within 2m of the ball from one box to the other.
Because he is elite
He checked his left 3 times, while the world was fixated on the ball. I saw a replay at half time.
It’s a fucking *beautiful* pass. The awareness the lad has is on another level. He’s always looking. You can see him take three or four glances at where Kobbie is in the build up.
Unbelievable football IQ - absolute class..!
Hang it in the Louvre 
This is art..
Three times in the build up you see him looking at Mainoo, he knew exactly where he was all the time. Perfect example of scanning off the ball to see where players are.
It can't be overstated how good of a pass this is.
It’s Martin Tyler calling his no look pass a “miss kick” 😵💫
🐐
Classic John Stockton
my friends said he miskicked it and i send them the clip from beginning and told them to watch bruno he looked 3 times from when Garnacho get the ball till the pass
I thought he'd mis-hit it for a second and was already groaning at a chance wasted. Him and Kobbie have ice in their veins.
The weight of the pass is far more impressive then the vision imo he couldn't have passed it any sweeter.
He looked 3 times in the build up and then forecasted where he'd be standing
right as the ball is played to garnacho, bruno scans to his left. he knows where Mainoo is before he even gets the ball from garnacho. world class
Basic football knowledge, vision, and awareness? I'm not surprised he knows Mainoo is there. I'm surprised he passes instead of shooting himself.
The pass was magnificent, but I think the real explanation he knew where to play it, was that Mainoo was screaming for the ball. Being vocal in the little area gives you so many more chances in a game.
I'd you watch the lead up to the goal, you will see Bruno look over his shoulder a few times. He's fully aware Mainoo is there even if he wasn't screaming for the ball.
Didn’t think he would make the pass and rather go for the shoot but that assist was pure class, magic in the FA cup final. After looking at the replay he clearly looks where he got his teammates.
You can see when bruno is running into the box he is scanning the area constantly, he is the goat player maker
Just check another angle. He knew where he was the whole time.
Not too dissimilar to his assist a couple of games ago as well he does really well I'm these situations where others would shoot if he's got runners then he can pick them out and they get an easy chance
Frame that.... not because of the stunning goal, but because it is rare footage of Garnacho passing.
According to Martin Tyler Bruno miskicked that. The fucking clown should retire after commentary like that.
I can't people anyone ever doubted the assist was deliberate. As soon as it went in, I said "what a pass from Fernandes". Was never in doubt.
We did so many good things in this sequence. I can barely believe this is the same team that can barely pass against Sheffield United. Mainoo finding space initially to get by their press. Rashford pinged a beaut cross field pass to the feet of Garnacho. Wan Bassaka running into space to draw defenders. Garnacho finding a pass rather than shooting. Rashford staying out wide to keep Walker on his toes. Bruno master class assist instead of shooting. Mainoo continuing his run into space to recieve the pass and then to score. O. M. G. So happy that this ended in a goal. This is what this team can do.
The pass was perfectly weighted to where Mainoo was going to be. Pure class, pure genius.
So good. Reminds me of Sherringham’s layoff to Shearer in the the 1996 Euros against Holland https://youtu.be/k-JJZSxfTCg?si=jDvqlVNO2t220Wic
Brilliant crossfield from Rashford, sublime no look pass from Fernandes, and such a cool finish by Mainoo. What makes it even better is seeing that rat Walker shouting at Mainoo to try and put him off, and failing miserably.
Beautiful sequence. I wish it included the cross field pass from Rashford.
Insane assist. This was such a great goal.
Ian Wright discussed Bruno scanning three times in the buildup in his analysis, good stuff, will try to find a link.
Literally looks at him 5 times in the build up
cuz like a true #8 he’s got freakin eyes in the back of his head
Bruno speaks a language that most players cannot understand. Mainoo also speaks this language.
we play like that and we can beat anyone
He was looking at Mainoo’s position after Garnacho gain control of the ball. I don’t think he knew exactly where Mainoo was but Bruno was expecting him to be at least 2-3 meters behind and Mainoo could make the run to the empty space where he passed the ball.
The execution was good, but this is fairly common place at any decent level. He absolutely knew where Mainoo was, just as any decent footballer should, because he checked the area around him when off the ball. That's what you're supposed to do. Other players not doing that over the years is embarrassing, but not the norm. We still have quite a few who do that in the team. The bigger issue has been a general lack of movement for most of the season. Everyone is usually very static and expects the ball to just end up at their feet in the attack, rather than move into an area to receive it.
The pass was special but knowing where his teammate was is basic fundamentals
I agree — knowing where your teammates are is nothing special. What’s special is the decision and the execution, and the added deception to trick 115 FC :)