The first-ever Manchester Derby FA Cup final in history was always going to be an acrimonious affair, but one flare-up fans might not have expected came between midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
Man City took one step closer to winning the treble on Saturday — a feat which would see them equal United’s treasured achievement in 1999 — but at half-time, Bernardo Silva’s derby day mentality was well and truly locked in as the two Portuguese players had a little spat on the pitch.
With the United captain walking up to share a few words with his international teammate as they went to walk down the tunnel, City’s number 20 had no interest in chatting with his compatriot.
In fact, in a moment picked up by the cameras on the day, Bernardo not only did his best to ignore Bruno but even shoved him away when his opposite numbers tried to get his attention.
No wonder Portugal have never been close to winning a World Cup. These lot hate each other.pic.twitter.com/Hyn94tRQO3
Bernardo Silva pushes Bruno Fernandes away as he tries to chat in the middle of the derby.
That’s an icy blue cold shoulder if we’ve ever seen one. Admittedly, Silva looked to have been chatting with the officials and Bruno could have been trying to casually intervene but either way, he wasn’t having any of it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite apparently having been friends ever since they met in Portugal’s under-18s camp, it’s clear that City star Silva was fully focused on seeing out the result and had no time for pleasantries with the task still at hand.
Moreover, while Fernandes has previously insisted he has “a great relationship with Bernardo” and that the two share regular WhatsApp messages throughout the season, he did admit ahead of that game they “normally don’t speak” until after the full-time whistle these days.
ADVERTISEMENT
That being said, it would seem only Silva got the derby day memo this time around and, much like City have been on the pitch for a good five or six seasons now, he chose to remain ruthless and quite literally push his friendship to the side.
Although seeing rival players (often fellow countrymen or ex-teammates) greeting and hugging each other before, during and after a game is much more commonplace these days, it’s still one that split opinion — especially if you’re Roy Keane.
The United legend has previously slammed a number of players from his former club for being far too friendly in the tunnel before going up against each other — including in a Manchester derby not long ago — stating that they need to “cut that” and “just get down the tunnel”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nevertheless, it looks as though the more cutthroat attitude helped the Blues on the day, scoring within 13 seconds to set the tone for the rest of the game.
Pep Guardiola‘s side now only needs to win one more game, the Champions League final against Inter Milan this weekend, to do the treble and put themselves even deeper into the history books than they already are. Regardless, many already believe Pep will go down as the greatest of all time.
Five things we noticed at Manchester United vs Celtic Legends game at Old Trafford
Harry Quick
Over 33,000 fans welcomed a star-studded lineup of legends to the Theatre of Dreams with Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes all back donning United red in aid of the Manchester United Foundation.
United’s squad were to entertain a Celtic XI featuring Stylian Petrov and former Manchester City man Georgios Samaras. The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes before the visitors prevailed in a 5-4 win on penalties.
The United legends were on top for large portions of the game, but if ever the men in green and white stripes were up against it, they certainly had a 12th man to boost their motivation.
Here’s what we took away from the wholesome day of charity football.
Five things we learned from the Man United vs Celtic Legends game
Celtic fans travel in force for the United Legends game
The Glaswegian side has followers around the world and the ‘Green Wall’ were in good voice in the away corner of Old Trafford. It was difficult to avoid the shamrock of the hoops on the ride up to the ground, which seemed to be an almost 50/50 colour split on the walk up along Sir Matt Busby Way.
The reason could lie in Manchester’s large Irish community showing support for their second favourite club, behind the Reds, of course.
They were a constant presence until the final whistle, receiving the result they deserved as Darren O’Dea slotted the winning penalty in the shootout – with a compulsory belly slide celebration to boot.
Carrick and Fletcher have still got it
Amidst Man United’s current midfield woes, the match on Saturday confirmed that the partnership of Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher still works in 2024. The midfield pairing dictated proceedings with their usual calm and control which never left the duo despite being on the wrong side of 40 years old.
As the match went on and the pace of the game gradually diminished, I couldn’t help but wonder whether my Sunday side could give these old boys a game.
A sequence of one-touch passes and neat flicks around the corner between the pair followed by a meandering run into the box by Carrick quickly put all my questions to bed. They are five-time Premier League winners for crying out loud, we’ll just stick to the local park.
🤝 Reuniting with former team-mates ✅ 🏟️ Playing at #OldTrafford ✅ ❤️ Vital funds raised for the Foundation ✅
Even for a charity match, there is no love lost between ex-professionals. Their bodies might be ageing but the passion for a meaty tackle evidently never goes away.
For the Reds, Phil Bardsley and Fletcher couldn’t help but get stuck in whilst Celtic’s Joe Ledley and Charlie Mulgrew were the main culprits to never shirk a 50/50.
The Celtic boys were flying in around the box, which helped give us the moment of the game – a Wayne Rooney free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards. Textbook.
Rooney never lets you down
If it was ever in doubt, Wazza’s class is permanent. He may be a far cry from the 18-year-old who would go on to score over 250 goals for the Red Devils but he rolled back the years with a pearler of a strike.
After a previous attempt from a dead ball which struck the wall, the former England man obliged with his next attempt. He was hardly going to let the Old Trafford faithful leave without another iconic finish.
The goal just before the halftime break drew the entire stadium to its feet, including a rightful applause from the travelling support. The second biggest roar came during his departing substitution for Paul Scholes – a fitting tribute to mark the return of arguably United’s best ever.
With the first team action on hold due to the international break, this was the perfect replacement of footballing action for an unbelievable cause.
The match against Celtic generated almost £1 million in revenue, which will help to support the Manchester United Foundation’s work with young people in Greater Manchester and other outreach areas in the UK.
United Foundation Chief Executive John Shiels said: “We’d like to thank our fantastic team of legends for playing so brilliantly in the name of charity.”
“We are incredibly thankful to Manchester United fans for supporting our work all year round, but especially so today, when the price of their ticket goes back into our work supporting young people.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The United vs Celtic Legends produced a wonderful atmosphere (Credit: The Manc Group/MUFC via supplied)
The United vs Celtic Legends game was just the latest in the club’s regular programme of exhibition matches for a good cause among a variety of other annual fundraising activities.
The Foundation delivers community outreach and educational programmes to encourage young people to make more positive life choices across the 10 boroughs all year round.
What better way to connect to our community than through the beautiful game?
The 11 best and most popular gyms in Manchester, ranked by price
Daisy Jackson
You do not need to wait for January to get your body moving again – there’s no time like the present.
The trick to sticking with your health kick is often to find the right routine for you, and when it comes to exercise, finding the gym that will make you feel supported as well as pushed physically is key.
There’s no shortage of brilliant gyms here in Manchester, from the do-it-yourself commercial gyms to the fitness facilities manned by highly-qualified trainers who will guide you every step of the way.
Whether you’re a fancy girl who needs fancy facilities to coax you into the gym, or you’d rather get your head down and save some cash, we’ve got you covered.
Here are 11 of the best to try in 2024 – and how much it’ll cost you.
Ultimate Performance – prices are bespoke and available on request
Ready to transform your body or lay the foundations for lifelong health, and feeling pretty serious about it?
Ultimate Performance is the gym in Manchester to join if you want to stick to your plan and achieve whatever goals you set yourself, from fat loss to muscle building to general health, with some of the world’s best personal trainers coaching from here.
Barry’s is the gym loved by all the famous LA-dwelling beautiful types, and first opened here in Manchester in 2018.
Workouts take place in the ‘red room’, where rows of benches, dumbbells and treadmills promise a total body workout.
It’s now a global phenomenon, with gyms everywhere from the USA to the UAE to Australia to Mexico.
It ain’t cheap though – memberships start at £125 per month, which gets you eight classes, or you can book a drop-in class for £20. The most expensive membership will set you back £308. Check out all the offers here.
Blok – £205/month for unlimited
Blok in Manchester has a mix of classes and is one of the city’s best gyms. Credit: Blok
This gym is genuinely very beautiful, taking over a corner of the historic Ducie Street Warehouse.
It’s another one with three different studios to choose from – you can do pilates and yoga, take on full-body strength-focused or boxing workouts, or try out barre and cardio exercises.
There are top-notch changing rooms for getting refreshed in afterwards too.
Unlimited membership is £205 a month, but if you’re happy to commit to a set number of classes there are cheaper packs available too. Check it out here.
You will not find a nicer or more supportive group of trainers than the ones who work at Form – you also won’t find any who take away your ability to walk up stairs quite so efficiently.
As well as one-to-one training, they offer their ‘reload’ programme with small groups training together at their New Bailey Street gym, and the best pilates and yoga classes in town at their Reset gym on Marble Street.
Form promises a longterm change to your life – this is no flash-in-the-pan fitness phase.
Memberships start from £168 a month and we promise you get a lot of bang for your buck. Find out more at formmcr.com.
F45 – £165/month
Credit: F45
First created in Australia, there are now more than 1,000 F45 studios all over the world, creating what it claims is the most innovative fitness gym on the planet.
Each 45 minute session blends cardio and HIIT-style workouts for ‘sweat-dripping, heart-pumping fun’.
The circuits in the Manchester gyms will kick your ass, in a good way.
It’s £165 a month if you commit to six months, otherwise you’re looking at £195 a month – check it out here.
ADVERTISEMENT
Zeno Training Clubs – £99/month
Hero Training Club gym in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupHero Training Club gym in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
With four different fitness studios to choose from, Zeno (formerly known as Hero) offers a little something for everyone.
You can seriously test your cardio in their spin studio or in the Athletic studio (where you can also take on boxing classes), push your strength in the Stronger studio (which are basically like small group PT sessions), or reset a bit in the Rejuvenate studio. There’s also an open gym upstairs.
Zeno has some of the best facilities in the city – seriously, there are more squat racks in here than in some of the biggest commercial gyms – and a bloody lovely group of trainers to guide your every move.
Memberships start from £99 a month, and there are class bundles available too. Find out more at herotrainingclubs.com.
TRIB3 – £79/month
Credit: TRIB3
This ‘next-level fitness studio’ follows a pretty similar modal to V1BE, but factors in assault bikes (ouch) and has classes with a more tailored focus.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are three different TRIB3 classes to choose from – upper body and core, lower body, and full body – broken down into three zones of treadmill, resistance and intensity.
It’s proving to be a very popular option for Mancs.
Unlimited memberships are £79/month but there are loads of other options too. Find out more at trib3.co.uk.
V1BE – £59/month
Credit: V1BE
It’s all about the cardio at V1BE, Manchester’s boutique gym group that will literally display your heart rate on a giant screen for all to see.
Most workouts are spread between sprint sessions on the treadmills and weighted circuits on the floor, but they also have STR1KE classes that factor in some intense boxing drills.
ADVERTISEMENT
You will be sweaty, you will get competitive with yourself, and you’ll definitely love it (once the hill sprints are over).
Membership starts from £59 a month (that’s for open gym access and six classes), or you can go all-in for £79 a month. Find out more here.
Nuffield Health – £51/month
Nuffield is one of Manchester’s biggest gyms, with its own pool
What makes Nuffield Health so extraordinary of all the gyms in Manchester is that is has a real life swimming pool, which is quite a luxury in a city centre as crammed as ours.
The gym has an army of treadmills and bikes, plus a functional fitness room, a free weights room, and several different studios.
There are also physiotherapists and personal trainers based here to help you build the healthiest body possible.
With a rapidly-growing number of gyms nationwide, it’s easy to see why JD Gyms are becoming more and more popular – and it’s got a lot to do with the price.
Their gym in Manchester city centre has more than 300 classes a month, a sauna, and literally hundreds of pieces of strength and cardio equipment.
There’s a large free weights zone, a sprint and sled track, bootcamps, boxing, and personal trainers.
Basic membership is £19.99 a month, which includes classes, but for £25 a month you can also get 10% off at JD Sports online and use any of their gyms nationwide – find out more here.
ADVERTISEMENT
PureGym – £12.99/month
PureGym has several gyms around Manchester. Credit: PureGym
Oh well all know PureGym, let’s be honest.
As one of the country’s biggest gym groups, they’re famed for being cheap and practical, with 24-hour opening times.
Facilities are very good for the price and there are four PureGym gyms in Manchester city centre alone. You just have to get used to their weirdly futuristic beam-me-up-Scotty entrance vestibules.
Danny Jones -
5th June 2023 
