Bruno Fernandes opens up on assist record and importance of Chelsea win | OneFootball

Against all the odds, Manchester United not only kept a clean sheet but also emerged victorious from their Premier League clash away at Chelsea on Saturday.

The Red Devils were without four of their five senior centre-backs, which meant Michael Carrick had to choose a makeshift pairing of 19-year-old Ayden Heaven and right-back by trade, Noussair Mazraoui.

Despite a poor start, the backline recovered and how! Eventually, the away side picked up all three points thanks to a brilliant first-time finish from Matheus Cunha.

Who set up the Brazilian’s goal? To nobody’s surprise, Bruno Fernandes registered his 18th league assist, just two short of the magic number of 20.

Bruno Fernandes on approaching the PL assist record

When asked about the impending record, the Portuguese superstar told TNT Sports, “I say every time I want to do better than the season before.

“I want to improve my game overall. I need to improve every week because I want to become a better player and end my career as the best as possible.”

Following the Leeds debacle, Saturday’s result means the 20-time English league champions are back in control of their Champions League fate, building a 10-point gap over the Blues as a result of the win.

“It’s an amazing feeling for us. We had to bounce back – it’s not just about Leeds, there were two games that we didn’t win.

On Chelsea win

“But we knew we had to make a great performance today because Chelsea are a very good side and it was very important for us because we know our aim is to get in the top four and they are the closest one to the top five. Making distance is important for us and that’s what we need.

“I feel three points closer, we have another game that we have to win,” added the Portuguese. “We know we need points to get that place secured and we will do everything possible to be as quick as possible.”

The club captain was quick to praise the entire backline for the work put in, especially as the hosts put the visitors under pressure on quite a few occasions.

He reserved special words for the away fans for their vociferous support. “They were amazing, already in the warm-up I felt they were on it. Every away ground we go, we feel at home and that was no different today.”

United’s next game is against seventh-placed Brentford at Old Trafford on Monday 27 April.

Feature image Julian Finney via Getty Images

online polls

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social