Speaking to reporters after the game, Fernandes said, "It's amazing — something out of this world, I think. Probably he’s watching too much Cristiano clips! We all know that he's a big fan. Still a long way for him to be like Cristiano but he's getting his steps. He wants to be something special in the world of football and I think he has the capability to do that, but he has to do more than that goal!"
The Portuguese midfielder also spoke highly of Kobbie Mainoo who was named man of the match on his Premier League debut as he said, "Kobbie did a great performance also I think for such a young player. The position he played, the quality put on the game, how brave he was to play on the ball against a team that is really strong and pressing-wise are really, really good. He was amazing on the ball and he gave us so much.
"I talk always about Kobbie. I think he’s a special player too. Obviously, people will not talk as much as they will about Garnacho because Garnacho scores goals, does assists and everything. But what he puts on the game, what he gives to the team, it's known to anyone (in the squad)."
The 29-year-old added, "I think he has great players in front of him to learn (from) because he plays with one of the best in the world like Casemiro. He also Sofyan (Amrabat) who plays in that position that is really good and he's getting everything from them. He wants he wants to learn, is eager to learn and I think that's probably the best capability he has because he wants to learn every time. He's eager to listen to everyone to get better and better."