Bruno Fernandes Denied Assist Despite Key Contribution in Manchester United Victory
Despite the Fantasy Premier League app awarding Bruno Fernandes an assist for his cross to Benjamin Sesko during the match against Liverpool, the Manchester United captain’s pass will not count as an official goal contribution.
Fernandes is currently on 19 assists for the 2025/26 season, just one behind the Premier League single-season record of 20 assists held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. He nearly equalled this record, but a close examination of the goal revealed a crucial deflection.
In the fourteenth minute of the match against Liverpool, with Manchester United leading 1-0, a cross from Luke Shaw reached the back post, where Bruno Fernandes headed it towards United striker Benjamin Sesko.
However, Liverpool’s stand-in goalkeeper Freddie Woodman intercepted the pass, punching the ball onto Sesko and causing a deflection that ultimately resulted in a goal.
According to the rules for the 2025/26 season, an assist is awarded if a pass or cross is deflected by an opponent and still reaches a teammate inside the penalty area, but only if there was one defensive touch. In this instance, the header from Bruno Fernandes was not directed solely towards Sesko; the critical touch from Woodman altered its course.
This decision is frustrating for Fernandes, but he remains focused as his team secured a 3-2 victory over Liverpool. Manchester United will now concentrate on their final three matches of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Fernandes will have these upcoming games to either match or surpass the assist record. Regardless of the outcome, it has been an impressive season for the Portuguese star.