Bruno Fernandes has written himself into Premier League history, equalling the single-season assist record with his 20th of the campaign in Manchester United’s 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Sunday. His low cross in the 76th minute was tapped in by Bryan Mbeumo, moving Fernandes level with Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry, the only other players to reach 20 assists in a single Premier League season. With one game remaining, away to Brighton on May 24, the 31-year-old still has a chance to claim the record outright.
A season that silenced every doubt
Twelve months ago, there was genuine debate inside Old Trafford about whether United should accept a substantial offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal and use the proceeds to rebuild the squad. Fernandes stayed, reportedly after a conversation with his wife, who asked him whether he had truly finished what he started at the club. The answer, delivered across 37 league games this season, has been emphatic.
Fernandes has created 132 chances this season, the most in the Premier League and 58 more than the next-best creator, Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai. Since his arrival in the Premier League in January 2020, no player has created more chances than Fernandes, who leads the all-time list over that period with 670, a full 238 ahead of De Bruyne. His 71 league assists for United across seven seasons place him level with Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min on the all-time club list.
His assists alone have been worth 21 points to United this season, the most by any individual player in a single campaign in the history of the competition. He also won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award last week, a recognition that his peers and observers consider him the most influential player in the division this season.
How the match unfolded
United got off to an unlikely start when Luke Shaw scored his first goal in more than three years, firing a low shot into the bottom corner after Forest failed to clear their lines in the fifth minute. It was a moment that carried its own storyline, given the years of injury disruption that had defined Shaw’s recent career.
Forest drew level early in the second half when Elliot Anderson delivered a precise cross for Morato to head home, silencing Old Trafford momentarily. Within two minutes, United were back in front through Matheus Cunha, though the goal sparked significant controversy. Mbeumo had appeared to control the ball with his arm in the buildup, and Forest immediately appealed. Referee Michael Salisbury was directed to the pitchside monitor by the VAR but ultimately ruled the contact accidental and allowed the goal to stand, a decision that frustrated the visiting side and drew widespread criticism.
Mbeumo then added the third in the 76th minute, stabbing home a Fernandes cross to complete the record-equalling moment. It prompted a celebration that involved all 11 United players on the pitch, including goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who sprinted the length of the field to embrace the Portuguese midfielder. Forest refused to fold, and Morgan Gibbs-White pulled one back with a composed finish from an Anderson cross, setting up a nervy finale. Diogo Dalot struck the post and Joshua Zirkzee somehow failed to convert in stoppage time as Matz Sels produced a superb late save to keep Forest within one.
What this means for United
The result confirmed United in third place in the Premier League, securing Champions League football for next season under Michael Carrick, who joined the club five months ago with few obvious alternatives available at the time. The transformation from the final days of Ruben Amorim’s troubled reign has been striking. United finished 15th last season and lost the Europa League final. They will now return to European football’s top competition.
Carrick is set to sign a two-year contract extension, and the mood inside Old Trafford has shifted considerably. The match also served as Casemiro’s farewell to the stadium after four seasons. The 34-year-old Brazilian midfielder received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 80th minute, visibly emotional as he left the pitch for the final time at Old Trafford.
Where Fernandes stands in history
The record Fernandes has equalled is now 22 years old. Henry set the original mark with Arsenal in 2002-03, and De Bruyne matched it with Manchester City in 2019-20. Fernandes has one opportunity to go beyond both of them when United travel to Brighton in their final league fixture of the season.
He has already surpassed David Beckham’s previous United record of 15 assists in a single season, set in 1999-2000. The all-time Premier League assists record still belongs to Ryan Giggs, who accumulated 162 across his career. Fernandes, at 31, is still some distance from that total but has spent six seasons establishing himself as the most consistently creative player the league has seen in the modern era.
