Ruben Amorim indebted to Bruno Fernandes after latest Man Utd rescue act

Bruno Fernandes scored a last-gasp winner to allow Manchester United to beat Rangers in their Europa League clash after Cyriel Dessers had netted a late equaliser

It was a captain’s intervention when Ruben Amorim needed one, it was a leader’s intervention to spare his countryman more ignominy.

When Manchester United and Amorim faced further embarrassment, the skipper stepped up. He gets enough criticism, Fernandes, much of it fully warranted.

But he leads with his talent and his perfectly-struck volley from a sweet Lisandro Martinez pass in added time gave a relieved Amorim the most needed of victories after Cyriel Dessers had, moments earlier, struck a dramatic equaliser.

There can be no disguising how unconvincing this United performance was, but there can be no understating how important the victory is for Amorim. And as well as thanking his captain, Amorim also owes a debt of gratitude to Jack Butland, who probably always fancied being a darling of the Stretford End during his five months with Manchester United but was never given a chance by Erik ten Hag.

Unfortunately for himself and Rangers, Butland’s moment came a good year and a half after his loan spell at Old Trafford ended. On the ropes, United needed a lucky punch and Butland delivered, aiming a right-hander at a Christian Eriksen corner-kick early in the second half and only succeeding in sending it back into his own net. Perhaps this is what happens to keepers who head north.

In a way, it was harsh on Butland, who also made a few decent saves but it was a terrible error after Rangers had looked comfortable. It is a measure of United’s mediocrity that they routinely surrender chances to visiting sides that have obvious limitations.

And even without showing any great sense of adventure, Rangers wasted two prime opportunities to take the lead inside the opening ten minutes, Nicolas Raskin’s rotten second touch letting him down for the first and Ridvan Yilmaz volleying straight at Altay Bayindir for the second.

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Having called for a fast start, Amorim only saw a painfully ponderous beginning, enlivened only by the efforts of Alejandro Garnacho. That the INEOS crew might consider selling Garnacho to Chelsea seems utterly preposterous, even though there is a school of thought that suggests the Argentinian does suit the Amorim system.

If that is the case, it is an issue Amorim should tackle tactically, not by allowing him to leave the club. Garnacho’s driving run and strike led to the corner that saw Matthijs de Ligt head home, only for referee Erik Lambrechts to harshly call an infringement against Leny Yoro.

And for 45 minutes, that – along with an Amad Diallo half-chance that was blocked by Butland, who also palmed away a Lisandro Martinez effort – was as good as it got for Amorim’s team. It was dismal stuff.

And it did not get an awful lot better early in the second half when Vaclav Cerny and substitute Bailey Rice had speculative efforts easily saved. But Rangers’ decent, hard work was rendered irrelevant by that glancing blow from Butland’s fist.

It was not the cleanest hit but it sent Rangers backwards and they never really looked as though they might get off the canvas and land one of their own until Dessers popped up with a fine finish two minutes from the end of normal time. In the technical area, Amorim sank lower than normal … but his countryman brought him to his feet.

The official programme cover for Manchester United v Rangers has been revealed, and it is paying tribute to ‘The King’, Denis Law. As well as the cover, there will be special features inside dedicated to the Manchester United and Scotland legend. Copies will be available at Old Trafford on matchday or online .