Bruno Fernandes closing on Premier League assists record after surpassing Beckham [video] | OneFootball

Fernandes is chasing the PL assists record [Getty Images]

Bruno Fernandes added two more assists to his catalogue for the season as Manchester United overcame one of their rivals for a Champions League spot with a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

Fernandes’ brace of assists was significant not only for the outcome of the match, but also in his chances of challenging the Premier League record for a single season. The United captain also ensured he surpassed 100 assists for the Red Devils, having reached 100 goals for the club earlier this season.

After a flat first half from both teams, United took the lead early in the second half when Fernandes’ corner was met by a superb header from Brazilian veteran Casemiro. The pair have become a significant asset for United at set-pieces, with Casemiro moving onto an impressive 7 league goals this term, five of which have come from a Fernandes dead ball.

United, who had Diogo Dalot at right-back, suffered a setback when Villa equalised through Ross Barkley, but once again it was captain Fernandes who inspired his team to re-take the lead. At a moment in which the game had become stretched, Fernandes’ wonderful first-time pass sent Matheus Cunha through on goal, with the Brazil striker keeping his composure to sidefoot past Emiliano Martinez.

Substitute Benjamin Sesko added a third to clinch the three points for United, who now look strong favourites to clinch a Champions League place. With 30 matches played and a top 5 finish almost certain to be enough for CL qualification, United sit in 3rd place and hold a 6-point advantage over 6th place Chelsea.

“We all tried to do it like Beckham” – Bruno

With 16 assists in the league, Fernandes has now broken the United record for most assists in a Premier League season, overtaking legend David Beckham’s tally of 15. Next in the former Sporting man’s sights could be the all-time Premier League record, which stands at 20 and is jointly-held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne.

“Obviously it’s very nice, it’s a good achievement because we’re talking about one of the best players [Beckham] at serving strikers or anyone in the box,” Fernandes said. “So I’m very pleased to do that.

“It’s not going to change anything for what I want, but being there with a name which has probably been one of the players most looked up to in crossing and passing – everyone in their own garden tried to do it like Beckham did it – I’m obviously very happy to do that.

“100 goals and 100 assists? It’s not something I dreamed about or thought about. I always want to help the team get the most from the game. Obviously, scoring goals and assisting is a big part of my game. And obviously I’m very pleased that today worked out and it made us win the game. For the rest of the season I just want to continue helping the team results-wise.

“I’m more proud and pleased because I did it serving my teammates. That’s even better, because giving joy to others is very good when you play in the position I play. So I’m happy I can help them to score and be happy. It’s a huge achievement for me, but the main achievement will be being in the top spots at the end of the season.

Casemiro connection

“I saw that [stat] about me assisting Casemiro [a lot] and I sent it to him straight away, because I think he has seven goals and five times it was from me. I told him he should give me a bonus for that, he told me I should give him a bonus because I get the assists.

“I have a very good connection with him in these situations. He’s someone who moves very well in the positions he wants. In the first half, he told me he wanted the ball ahead of their first zone. In the second half when we got the corner, I told him where I was going to put the ball. He moved into the right space and headed it in. His timing is perfect and the way he heads the ball is so good. So it makes me very happy that he scores goals for us.

“Obviously [today] was very important because it was against a direct opponent let’s say. We’re on the same points so getting this advantage over them is always good. We needed to win the game after the last game [defeat to Newcastle] where we couldn’t get the three points we wanted.

Today we did the job. I still think we can do much better, but the job is done with three points and I’m happy with that.”